SHIP coordinator urges drivers to be cautious as kids return to school

State Health Improvement Coordinator Kristina Campbell Mattson is urging drivers on 5th Street to be mindful of reduced speeds as students return to school next week.

Fifth Street, part of County Road 7, runs past the hospital and connects to Highway 61 and the Gunflint Trail. The section from the Cook County Community Center to the Gunflint Trail intersection is a school zone with a 20 mph limit.

“That is a corridor that we want to just draw attention to and ensure that people are going slow, watching for pedestrians, especially when school starts, but also in the mornings and evenings,” Campbell Mattson told WTIP. “Especially when it starts getting darker. We have a lot of kids who are doing after-school activities and enrichment activities, doing sports, and it’s really important that we stay cautious.”

Any street corner, even unmarked, as well as crosswalks, is considered a legal place for pedestrians to cross. Drivers must come to a complete stop for pedestrians, even without a stop sign.

“As I was even driving here today, I saw two teenage girls I know, waiting on 61 to try to cross legally, and about five cars passed them and didn’t stop,” Mattson said. “So just being mindful of if you have the ability to stop safely for the pedestrian, you know to do that because it is the law and it’s just helps everybody be safer,”

The 2025-2026 school year begins Sept. 2.

Walk to School Day

Mattson also encourages the community to participate in National Fall Walk to School Day on Oct. 8.

If your student normally gets a ride or walks to school, they can be dropped off early and join a Walking School Bus from one of the following starting locations:

• Cook County Community Center – 7:40 am departure
• Cook County Courthouse – 7:40 am departure
• Birchwood Apartments – 7:40 am departure

“Studies show that kids who get that morning walk in do better at school,” Mattson said. “Their concentration is better, there are health benefits, and so even just getting that little five-minute walk from the Community Center to Sawtooth Elementary, or walking down to GES, is something to consider.”

Those interested in volunteering for the event can sign up using this link.

“t’s a really fun event. We usually have some refreshments at the community center for those volunteers and kids, and it’s just one way to help celebrate the year off strong and to get community involved and increase awareness and to help those kids walk to school,” Mattson said.

Edit: This article was edited to include a correction. Buses will not be dropping kids off at the Walk to School drop sites.

WTIP spoke with SHIP Coordinator Kristina Campbell Mattson regarding National Walk to School Day and other public health updates. The audio of that conversation can be found below.

Josh Hinke August 30, 2025