Schools participating in the AAA School Safety Patrol program are encouraged to submit their supply orders now for the upcoming school year. Orders are collected each spring, processed over the summer, and delivered in time for the start of school in September.

AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) provides a range of complimentary materials to support your patrol, including:

• Safety patrol belts in multiple sizes
• Badges for Captains, Lieutenants, and Patrollers
• Student applications and handbooks
• Advisor manuals
• Year-end service pins and certificates of achievement

These resources are designed to help schools easily launch or maintain a successful program that promotes student leadership and safety. Click here to place your order or learn more.

From humble beginnings as a small, boys-only initiative in 1920, AAA School Safety Patrol now has more than 675,000 patrollers – boys and girls – in 35,000 schools. The AAA School Safety Patrol program is the world’s largest school-based safety program – instilling lessons of good citizenship, leadership and responsibility. Today, these young leaders dedicate their time before, during and after school each day, working with teachers, supervisors, adult crossing guards and law enforcement to ensure the safety of their classmates.

Past patrollers have grown up to be U.S. presidents (Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden), astronauts, governors, members of Congress and Supreme Court justices, as well as Olympic Gold medalists. Many patrollers also now serve as educators, executives, physicians and other community leaders throughout the nation.

The AAA School Safety Patrol Program is grounded in a rich history. Charles M. Hayes, then president of the Chicago Motor Club, is credited for building the infrastructure after several children were struck and killed by a speeding car at a school crossing.

From that day forward, AAA has provided traffic safety training designed to keep children safer while walking to and from their school. Because of the steadfast dedication of Hayes, the program is now over 100 years strong and continues to have a positive impact on schools, students and communities.

AAA WCNY encourages all schools to initiate their own AAA School Safety Patrol programs, which are most popular among upper elementary grades, and sometimes with middle and junior high schools. While tasks vary depending on each individual school, there are a variety of roles for School Safety Patrol members:

• Complete training in traffic safety.
• Protect students from hazards of crossing roads and highways on their way to and from school.
• Assist bus drivers in safely transporting students to and from school.
• Teach fellow students about traffic safety.
• Serve in other leadership roles under the direction of school officials.

By partnering with AAA to launch a School Safety Patrol program, schools can strengthen safety while empowering students to become responsible leaders. For over a century, AAA has helped build safer school communities while instilling confidence, accountability, and a lasting commitment to helping others.