Lake Co. school ready to 'ticket' students without bike helmets

Bareheaded children bicycling to Prairie Crossing Charter School in Grayslake can't say they weren't warned if they are pulled over starting Monday morning.

Prairie Crossing Principal Brian Greene said safety concerns led to the idea of issuing written "citations" to students without bike helmets. Charter school policy requires students to wear headgear while on a bike.

"I'd rather be proactive than reactive," Greene said.

Greene said no one at Prairie Crossing will actively seek children without bike helmets Monday and that violators won't lose school privileges. He said parents were informed about the initiative in a newsletter he sent today.

Children who are stopped will have their names placed on a document below the heading of "Bicycle Helmet Citation." An explanation to parents about school policy requiring bicycle helmets is on the charter school ticket.

"Please discuss with your child the importance of bike safety," the citation says. "If you are unable to purchase a helmet for you child, please contact Mr. Greene."

Citations must be returned to Greene with the signatures of a parent and the helmetless student.

With 359 students, Prairie Crossing is Lake County's only public charter school and offers an environmentally focused curriculum for kindergarten through eighth grade. Students mostly come from within the boundaries of Woodland Elementary District 50 and Fremont Elementary District 79.

Many of the children who bike to school live in the adjacent Prairie Crossing subdivision in Grayslake. It was common to see up to 50 pupils bicycling daily to school early in the academic year, said Greene, who also handles crossing-guard chores.

"Even today as I was doing crossing-guard duty," Greene said Thursday, "there were 15 bikes that went by on one corner."

Greene, who came to Prairie Crossing this year from Hawthorn Elementary North in Vernon Hills, said he's noticed most of the kids without bike helmets are in fourth grade or older.

Prairie Crossing Director Myron Dagley said he supported the citation idea in a recent memo to school board members.

"As you might expect, this may not be a popular action," Dagley said, "but I feel it is necessary if our policies are to mean anything."