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A Woodburn high school student died earlier this month after being hit by a train on his way to school.
The Woodburn High School community continues to mourn the passing of 17-year-old Jesus Garcia Santiago. His GoFundMe page, set up by his cousin, has exceeded its fundraising goal. Even people who didn’t know Judai left messages of support.
“My children loved him so much that seeing him break down in tears at the news of his passing broke my heart even more.” there is no.”
After Garcia Santiago died on December 2, Woodburn School District officials sent a team to help grieving students and staff.
Ward officials also dug up old documents to put together a new plan to improve pedestrian safety. Superintendent Joe Morelock said the need for safer routes to schools is nothing new at Woodburn.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve worked on these. We already had maps,” says Morelock. “These are the ones we have identified that are not getting any traction.”
Morelock is relatively new to the school district, but he knows of past incidents that prompted the construction of a pedestrian crossing near his high school. But he’s even more, especially for Woodburn students who live in affordable housing near high school and need to stroll down State Route 214 and Front Street, a busy highway. He said a lot needs to be done.
“Our high school isn’t going to move from its current location. It’s essential that it’s adjacent to major highways, highways, and railroad tracks,” says Morelock. “We have to think about how we can work with ODOT and the people of Woodburn to create a safer route to school.”
Proposed improvements include increased lighting at multiple points along various routes to the school, and an elevated walkway on Highway 214.
Garcia Santiago died while crossing the railroad tracks. The main route he is 400m away, so it is the route many students use as a shortcut. District officials want a more direct path to campus to discourage students from crossing the railroad tracks.
Providing safe routes to schools has long been a concern statewide and nationally. In Portland, the recent death of a cyclist near Cleveland High School in southeastern Portland has sparked renewed calls for greater safety on Powell Boulevard. Pedestrian fatalities in the Portland area reached an all-time high last year.
In Woodburn, Morelock has begun recruiting workgroup volunteers to advance the district’s plans. Once work begins, the workgroup will immediately send letters to city and state officials to raise his awareness of the issue, he said.
“As a school district, we don’t really have the authority to change highways, but we may be able to pressure others to adjust these spaces for pedestrian safety,” Morelock said. says.
He said the district is in contact with safe routes to schools from the country’s Ministry of Transport.
Regarding funding, Morelock hopes that there will be grant or ODOT funding sources available to make the improvements outlined in the district’s plan. He said the district’s own funds are being spent to support students in classrooms and within schools.
“Sometimes in the wake of unfortunate tragedies like this, we need to raise awareness to let others know about it,” Morelock said. “This is our Woodburn his community, united in not wanting to see other students killed.”
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