point, but i have a fact sheet i can get out. and i can obviously get you copies of the power point afterwards. we work with the model that most safe routes to school programs huge. education, encouragement, enforcement, engineering, and evaluation. our program is focused on safety, teaching pedestrian safety skills in the second grade and biking skills in the fourth grade. there is walk to school day, back-to-school day, and enforcement is self-explanatory. we tried if it does infrastructure improvements, and evaluations to measure our program's success.

through their role at the county transportation agency, we were awarded another $500,000 to continue the program through 2011 and 2013. the thing that i want to stress is that at the same time, the policy is going to change at local schools. this will make it much more realistic to ask families to walk and bike to school. we will do a special outreach to each incoming gray. -- grade. we will do a lot of outreach to the caregivers, especially at candor orientation. that is also being contributed to poor air quality around the school.

and then do some training about school buses to help increase that element of our program. i really want to thank you for the opportunity to speak, and i will give you a copy of the power point. we are excited to bring this program finally to san francisco. supervisor dufty: commissioner kim. commissioner kim: in terms of the schools you will be adding -- >> is the question which ones? we decided that we are going to invite all of the elementary schools to participate. we're going to send an invite to all of them. they will respond to us, and we will look at the criteria we have. we do want to ensure geographic equity to make sure that at least one if not more is in each

supervisory district across the city. we want to make sure that half of their students are living within a mile of the school, and what helps launched a program is to see if they have participated in any evidence that show an interest. but have they participated in walking to school days before? we look at the applications we have received and pick the schools that way. commissioner kim: and just because it is a program that is already being initiated, there are some community groups and other organizations that are working with safe passages for children to walk back and forth, and they actually partner with the high school students to volunteer to watch elementary school kids back and forth. it would be great to partner with them because they have an existing program and they're trying to do better out reach.

there is at least some work that is being done there as well. >> absolutely. supervisor alioto-pier: think you, supervisor dufty. going on what commissioner kim just mentioned, in district 2, a lot of the independent schools have these programs already in place and they're pretty aggressive. they will walk three blocks down to go pick the kids up from school. i'm just curious to know if we have also considered partnering with some of the parochial and independent schools and neighborhoods? >> we receive this question quite a bit. we're open to working with a number of the private schools in the city. what a challenge is for us, we don't know what the enrollment

data is for the private schools, and how far the families live. we're happy to facilitate walking school buses where families dropped them off 3-5 blocks away to decrease the traffic congestion. it is hard pressed to deliver the full set of services when we don't know where the parents are. we're going to be setting up a website where we're going to be putting up our lesson plans for teachers to download themselves and implement if they want to. that should be up and running in a couple of months. >> there are a lot of catholic schools that have -- there might be a lot of overlap in some of these community centers. if there is anything i can do to help, i will be happy to do that. >> we would appreciate that. supervisor dufty: commissioner

mendoza. commissioner mendoza: i am curious about the involvement of sfpd in the safe routes. i have heard that it has been a little challenging. these are the kinds of opportunities where we can be sure that the engagement level is where we wanted to be. can you share that with us? >> i will bring up the officer who is wearing multiple hats today. yes, the police department is going through multiple works. we originally got this grant in 2006, and the unit we were working with was the youth services unit that has now been restructured. we are trying to make do with the existing structure of the

police department. we're trying to reach out to the district captain to work with of the schools that have been selected. some districts work with us and some have other priorities. we are trying very hard to be ready at the start of the school year to alert all the districts that there will be one or two districts that can participate. do have anything to add to that? >> this basically came about when the resources officers were decentralizing because we entered into an agreement where we had a unit functioning where we could deliver it. we don't have that anymore. there is some movement to reinvigorate the effort, but the involvement from an enforcement

standpoint solely rests with each district captain. that is the piece that we need to be able to put together in a more fluid away, especially because we're going to have 15 schools in this coming year. commissioner mendoza: what is being communicated to the district captains for them to support the program? >> each of them received a transition binder that had deliverable within that period it is there. i think we probably just need to revisit it because there have been some revisions and some movement as well at the district level. i'm sorry, at the police district station level. commissioner mendoza: without calling anybody out, is there anything we can do to support -- you ha

>> i think it would be great if we could bring the department of dph, the ta, the officer with us, you get five district stations and they establish is something they ask about for the next few meetings. i think that would be a good -- commissioner mendoza: the only thing i am apprehensive about is that we don't know what schools are going, and we can certainly say that this is something that we have got to deliver on, but we won't be able to say, yes, you're going to have three schools in your police district.

>> and maybe there is a communication that we can have a select committee involve the captains as well. and you have another officer or -- excuse me. i didn't mean to call you off. >> it's ok. this is a good coincidence that happens today, because i met with diana from the superintendent's office. what we did for about an hour and a half, all of the schools are laid out on this map, and we discussed exactly what you're talking about. basically, there are certain programs that are only in certain schools. so children from all different areas have to attend those schools specifically. i brought with me, today when we met, a task force expert, and we

sat down with them and looked at where the schools are, how they are laid out, and we discussed whether we're going to support direct busing or whether muni could handle the issue. we brought the problem lines, the problem intersections. we looked at the map, and she said, can we move these kids to this school? without using specifics, i said no, that will have to be a direct route because it is a gang area. and those kids, that would put them in harm's way. we ended the meeting at -- and we basically took copies of the maps, looked at the different schools, and for the most part, it will be the middle schools

that will be an issue. we have our own work, we're going to look at the schools where there are specific programs. we will determine what kids will be going to those schools, and they're going ask us, which way do we do this? do we do direct buses using the school district, or will muni work? it is a coincidence that it was already in the works this morning. i know we are scheduled again to meet on august 10. the inspector or the sergeant brought copies back to the task force where, as you know, it is kind of split into the different gangs specialties. the respective team leaders will look at the information, look at the schools, where they're going

to be moved, and what type of police presence do we need to ensure the safety of the kids. >> as you're saying, the timing is perfect. what you're talking about is the conversation that started around the student process. as it gets more of the policy work, we want to make sure that we incorporate the police department and the various agencies to make sure that we are making progress on safety for our kids. i appreciate that piece because it is a really important component because the transportation cuts we're going to be experiencing as well as the way in which the students process will unfold. you have actually helped us to recognize where we should draw the boundaries which is a really

important piece. i am hoping you will translate what you have done their with this particular program, because it is a little different than what you're doing on the student assignment peace. it seems to me that the role of the san francisco police department is more around the enforcement and making sure that they are supporting the efforts of the safe routes. looking at what is happening here, utilizing speed radar and those types of things, it is a little bit different from the student assignment peace. i am hoping that your conversation this morning translates into more support on the safe routes program. >> i am pretty confident it will. i also where another hat. i am a san francisco police

officer assigned with working with the mta. we identified them as the specific team or what they do is they go to the problem line, where the kids congregate before and after school, and they ride the buses. it is the -- mtap is the muni transportation assistance program. >> these are all the multiple layers that are different programs but i think fold into one another. we would love to hear from them. >> i want to bring you up after because i have some use commissioners here, and i always get worried. ok. commissioner mendoza: in hearing

your conversation, i get your working with individuals, but as you must know, we have a student assignment redesign that has been going on for quite some time. howell line are you in that conversation? >> personally, our program has not been aligned with that conversation at all. we just know that the policy went into effect in march. and this might be an opportunity for promoting that. commissioner mendoza: there are opportunities to figure out how we can align that program. we definitely have some differences in how we have done this work and come to a decision of what we're going to do with student reassignment. and definitely, if he could

possibly share some information with you, he is our representative. the conversation can begin because there would be some kind of talk. >> that afternoon, board of supervisors and commissioners. as deputy chief murphy said, i am the manager of ammuni tra -- the muni transit assistance program. we work with many places. we also work at a number of junior high schools that covers everything to marina to francisco and other schools that

have been developed. luther-burbank has a charter school there. we have been working around mission high school on to sixteenth street. it is a transfer point for a lot of kids going to some of the other schools. we have a mixture of public as well as private school kids that we deal with everyday. it was a pretty quiet summer. we are very grateful for that. we're thankful that deputy chief murphy came along. they are scattered at the various district offices, so we're working with the various captains and the community relations unit that was established by the chief to make sure that they get out in the community. we have been dealing with hot

spots, transfer points that are like 16, twenty fourth street, a geneva, fillmore, chestnut, we have been dealing with 4th and gary, masonic and gary. we are currently riding the 22, the 31, the 6th, and f line when time prevails. we're trying to get a handle on working together with the school. this is our sixth year in working with the school district. we started a relationship with them in 2004, we began working

on a variety of different things including truancy. we will be at the schools this coming year. we will be there to work with the staff as well as the unit assigned to muni. i forgot everybody is not familiar with those phrases. i am available to answer whatever questions. we also work with the kids on treasure island. that is the responsibility of san francisco to provide transportation to the island and to its residents. we have a number of issues out there, and we have a great work relationship with the director that has worked with us. now that the terminal is going to be close, we're going to be

working to get those people over there. as you may not be aware, the 108 is the only line of transportation that is provided by the city. they have one line that transports the people there back-and-forth. we have a number of students from the treasure island that are attending the school district here. they come home in the morning and they get their education. when school is finished, they are back on the bus which is usually a transfer, and then they go over to treasure island. supervisor dufty: commissioner

kim:. -- commissioner kim. commissioner kim: i am looking at a survey that the use commission provided. it says here that 40% of students are most likely to report violence and harassment from other youth. we met yesterday, at and he started to mention -- and you started to mention that some of the lines that you also write. do you ride the buses? >> we monitor the terminal line at the east bay terminal. if the staff is available and we have time, we ride over on the 1 08. we also have surveillance cameras that have been brought up to par. if there is something going on,

we're able to pull up the camera and meet with the staff. that is the other part of the residents that live on that island that is made of halfway houses and people returning back to the system. we do work -- we rely on the southern station to work with us to follow buses when there is a big problem or we noticed a fluctuation of kids going over and doing whatever they're doing. it was captain o'leary, that might have changed. i know we have been working down there, and deputy chief murphy has done enforcement which has been a big help to us in the school district as well as around the school routes.

we seemed to have gotten the full cooperation from all the stations. >> i hear a lot of students say they get harassed on the bus. i'm not sure if the videos catch a lot of that. it is not necessarily a crime, but bullying and harassment. to try to manage that, there is a program where young adults used to ride the buses and provide a level of supervision and conflict mediation. do we have fought every introducing programs like that? >> i wish we could afford the luxury of having enough staff to be able to ride those coaches. we don't. we have allocated at a couple of staff members to working at the terminal. we also have the task of

writing -- riding the t-line. if time is available, we will go ahead and write the 108. most of the time rely on video surveillance and the seven stations. those are the number of officers assigned to treasure island. once we have identified the perpetrator, we work to bring closure. they have a standard policy, and they will not tolerate any type of behavior that is destructive -- destructive -- disruptive to muni riders or those on treasure island. we are not able to have staff

that ride it. terminal monitoring is a full- time job. we have all kinds of stuff going on, smoking , drinking, eating, dropping stuff. -- smoking in line, drinking, eating, dropping stuff. there are people living on that island and we don't think that they should have to bear that kind of attitude. we monitor the line to make sure everybody is on those buses at the time they stood in line. >> that is good to hear. what can we do to partner with these programs to have their young adults riding with the buses? happily partner with the community response network to kind of bring folks together around the city.

there are a lot of leadership programs that are slightly older. how do we work with them? it was a partnership. >> we had the guardian angels right it one time on their own. this is a certain element that we must be very careful about. they have rules and regulations, and everybody has to follow them, including us. when you have people that are wanted through their own thing, so to speak. muni is going to be careful. we don't want to be sued. you heard deputy chief murphy talking about cross boundary issues, and if this kind of issue happens, we're going to have a problem. the mtap people go through

training, a long background check with the police department, and until you can get everybody on board, it is a little risky to ask another group that hasn't been familiar to take on that task. i would like to say that is open for everybody, but it is not. we're very particular about the group at the schools. we require everybody to check in with the school, check in with the officers, and we're all working on the same level. if people not want to do that, i have to say honestly to you, i don't feel comfortable working around them. he said policies and guidelines for reason. we don't want to just anybody running around a school. saying that they work for muni.

>> but we need to figure out how to get around some of these obstacles. if we know that the students don't feel safe going back and forth to school, we have to figure out a way to address this. i don't say that we work with everybody, but we figure out the cooperations we can have to get past it. what can we do to get past the no-answer? a lot of the youth talk about having mentors and adults riding the buses with them to help them feel safer. how can we