The Minnesota Department of Transportation’s 28th annual Walk to School Day is set for Wednesday, Oct. 9.
The event, sponsored by Safe Routes to School, encourages students to try out the healthy habit.
Thirty Northern Minnesota schools across 18 communities are expected to participate, including the elementary and middle schools in Grand Rapids and Bigfork, the Detroit Lakes elementary schools and Laporte Elementary and Secondary.
A full list of participating schools can be found online.
State law requires public school students to learn safe walking and bicycling skills at the beginning of the school year, according to a MnDOT news release.
“Safe walking is a lifelong skill, and MnDOT has resources to help schools meet this new rule and help make Walk to School Day a success,” stated Kelly Korbin, MnDOT Safe Routes to School coordinator.
For students who don’t live near their school, there will be designated a drop-off location within a half-mile from the school and volunteers to help supervise the walk.
-
Gov. Tim Walz commended Minnesotans’ compassion during tragedy and praised their resilience after a federal immigration crackdown, political assassination and school shooting.
-
Extra dollars in the state will fund the public input process ahead of possible changes to the state's financial aid program.
-
Plus: the federal government approved St. Louis County's public labor agreements for road and bridge projects; an additional 5,000 trees will be distributed in the ReForest Bemidji event; and four Northern Minnesota fire departments will host Women Explore Fire Day events on May 2, 2026.
-
Research indicates that in the coming decades, the state is likely to see more risk days of wildfires starting on the ground due to more extreme droughts connected to climate change.