Seeking safer routes to schools

Attending the recent meeting, from left, were Dennis McFatten, executive director of safety and security Marion County Public Schools; Shanta Norton; Brien Weidemiller; Ben Whitehouse, deputy superintendent, MCPS; Danielle Brewer, interim superintendent, MCPS; and Angela Usher, senior executive director of operations, MCPS. [Photo courtesy Brien Weidemiller]

How safe is your child while walking to and from their school or bus stop?

According to Kevin Christian, the public relations director for Marion County Public Schools, there are 2,375 bus stops daily in the district.

“About 23,000 of our 46,000 plus students ride the school bus on a daily basis,” he noted in an email message.

On Oct. 27, 2025, Forest High School senior Shannon Rushing, 18, was struck and killed in the 2200 block of Northwest Old Blitchton Road in Ocala while walking to a school bus stop. The crash occurred around 6:18 a.m. in “dark, not lighted” conditions, according to a police crash report. The driver was not criminally charged and Shannon’s family members and friends called for increased safety, such as improved lighting and sidewalks, on that road.

The local Safer Routes to School Committee was formed in September 2025 to identify routes and seek Florida Department of Transportation grants to improve safety for students walking and biking to and from area schools. The committee, which is composed of officials from the city of Ocala, Marion County Public Schools, the Ocala Police Department and the public, hosted a community meeting on Jan. 8 at Howard Middle School.

The committee has been gathering information about school routes and infrastructure needs to improve conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists and will complete an application for an FDOT Safer Routes to School (SRTS) grant. The target for the grant application, which is due by Jan. 31, will be Northwest Old Blitchton Road. Public notification and at least one public meeting and a signature from a school principal are part of the application.

The SRTS grants are intended to “make it safe for more children to walk and bicycle to school” and highlight the health aspects and encourage all students, including those with disabilities, to walk or bike on their way to school, according to information on FDOT.gov.

City of Ocala Growth Management Department Senior Planner Emily Johnson and MCPS Planning Manager Xavier Balerdi were part of the Jan. 8 meeting, which covered the improvement project proposed for the half-mile stretch of Northwest Old Blitchton Road from Northwest 10th Street (U. S. Highway 27) to Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. The project would include sidewalk, lighting and crosswalk improvements.

That portion of roadway sees 135 walkers daily from Howard Middle School, 15 walkers daily from Madison Street Academy, 64 walkers daily for two Vanguard High School buses and 127 walkers daily for two Forest High School buses, for a total of 341 walkers daily.

City of Ocala Growth Management Director Jeffrey Shrum said the SRTS statewide budget is $7 million and that the local project could see an award in the range of $500,000 to $750,000.

Grants could take up to five years to be awarded, and committee officials made it clear other sources of funding for the project would be pursued.

Shannon’s sister and legal guardian, Shanta Norton, spearheaded an initiative on change.org to enact legislation dubbed “Shannon’s Law,” which would bring improvements like upgrades in lighting and sidewalks where needed to enhance safety for pedestrians. Norton called the committee’s actions “a good first step” and said she hoped to see more accomplished to enhance pedestrian and bicyclist safety.

“I’ll send a letter of support and partner with the committee in honor of Shannon,” she said.

Additional attendees at the Jan. 8 meeting included Dennis McFatten, executive director of Safety and Security for MCPS; Ocala City Councilman James Hilty Sr.; Allison Campbell, MCPS board member; Angela Usher, senior executive director of operations for MCPS; and three officers from the Ocala Police Department, Maj. Angy Scroble (Special Operations Bureau), Sgt. Dan Wright (Traffic Unit) and Lt. Jeff Hurst (Youth Development Section).

Ocala City Council President Ire Bethea told the attendees that work is underway to prioritize areas needing paving and sidewalks.

The city of Ocala did a road safety study from June to November 2025, funded by a $104,000 U.S. Department of Transportation Safer Streets grant and $26,000 in matching funds, which included the use of an analysis of five years of data.

Information from the city’s Safer Streets road safety plan and speed management and calming study will also be used by the SRTS Committee to locate areas of concern, according to Deputy City Engineer Noel Cooper.

The Safer Routes to School Committee would like to hear from local residents about other areas where school route safety could be improved.

“(We want) more public involvement,” said Shrum.

To contact the committee, send an email to [email protected]