Students Visit Harrisburg to Promote Healthy Eating and Advocate for Child Safety Legislation
Students from Vida Charter School and the Upper Merion Area School District traveled to Harrisburg this week to advocate for two important statewide initiatives supporting children’s health and safety.
On Monday, the students were introduced on the Senate floor, where they shared their enthusiasm for a new State Fruit Bill proposing the apple as Pennsylvania’s official state fruit. The bill is paired with a statewide student contest highlighting the importance of eating more fruits and vegetables and encouraging nutrition education in schools and communities.
In addition to supporting the State Fruit Bill, a student from the Upper Merion Area School District—who also serves as a youth advocate through the nonprofit Healthy Community Lifespaces—brought forward a set of letters addressing urgent child-safety issues. These letters, attached for reference, call for:
- Point-of-sale safety warnings for electric scooters, which remain illegal to operate on Pennsylvania roads and sidewalks, and
- Automated speed enforcement in school zones to protect walking and biking students.
The student distributed the letters to Senators and Representatives to raise awareness of the need for stronger protections for children, disabled pedestrians, and law-abiding families. The students also delivered apples to legislators as a symbol of their commitment to child health and the State Fruit initiative.
Senator Mastriano met with the students and recognized them on the Senate floor, acknowledging their leadership and civic engagement. Senator Comitta wrote the bill to introduce the Apple as a state fruit as a student from her district was one of the winners in the contest. see attached pictue
More information and research on the safety issues raised by the students—including risks associated with electric scooters and the need for safer school-zone enforcement—can be found here:
/protecting-children-disabled-pedestrians-and-law-abiding-families/
Contest information: