Students walking to and from Luttrell Elementary School will soon be a bit safer with a grant from Safe Routes to School.

The federally funded program, which promotes the health benefits of walking and biking to school, will fund the paving and lighting of an existing path that residents at Lafollette Housing Authority apartments in Luttrell use to get to school, Luttrell City Park, and Luttrell Library. The $98,000 grant includes funding for the path, along with an education component, including traffic safety classes for kids and educational materials.

The grant comes from a joint application by Union County Public Schools and the Union County Mayor's Office.

Luttrell Elementary School principal Sonja Saylor said most students at Luttrell don't walk to school, but students living in the nearby apartments take a dirt path through the woods to get to and from school. Middle and high school students who ride the bus to Luttrell from their schools also use the path. She said paving the path will alleviate muddy conditions when it rains, and the paving and lighting combined will make getting to school "better and safer" for the kids who use the path. She estimated that about 25 Luttrell Elementary students use the path each day.

Students fulfilled the educational component of the grant November 15, as Safe Routes to School educators Diana Benedict and Mark Johnson held special programs in the school gymnasium. Benedict taught the kids about hand signals for bike riding, safety at railroad crossings, and general traffic safety, led them in games and gave them the chance to win prizes.

Williams said plans for the paved, lighted path have been submitted to TDOT, and construction will be completed this spring or summer while students are out of school.