While we, as CFCC Student Fellows who are new to the TCP this semester, may have felt a sense of hopelessness at some point during the semester, we have recently experienced a turnaround. Over the past couple of weeks, for example, I have grown attached to several TCP students and have felt genuine pride in their accomplishments. I think that they appreciated what I had to say and the effort I was putting in to get to know them, not simply to scold or “fix” them. And it made a difference.
When discussing the reasons underlying their absences, many of these young people say that MTA (city) buses often pass them by or are unreliable. The best remedy in this situation, in my opinion, is implementing a busing system for the public schools. Students would have a set time when the school bus would pick them up in the morning, and they would travel directly to school.
Students tell us that they are sometimes afraid to catch a city bus. School buses would provide students with a safe and secure means of transportation. In addition, the camaraderie generated when a group of young people waits day after day for the bus becomes a vehicle for creating and nurturing strong friendships. Students learn how to get along with their peers and how to look out for themselves and their friends. But most importantly, developing a group of neighborhood buddies at the bus stop can be the catalyst for lifelong friendships among children who will grow up together. The children will learn that the definition “family” extends to the bonds they form with other folks, too.
Additional benefits to a separate school busing system include, among others, limiting students’ exposure to extreme weather conditions – thereby removing the excuse that a student is absent because it was raining or snowing – and reducing travel time to school. It is impossible to put a dollar sign on keeping children safe and implementing programs that will promote their education.
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I agree that Baltimore City schools should provide transportation for students, regardless of how the budget must be adjusted to do so. It is not safe for children to rely on public transportation, which sometimes requires multiple transfers, and the potential for missed connections, each way. I also find a severe disconnect between public policy that emphasizes child safety and school policy that requires the use of public transportation for students. Expecting children that are not legally old enough to stay at home alone to get to school each day, on time, by themselves, using public transportation is something that needs to be addressed-- not only by Baltimore City schools, but by Baltimore City politicians, leaders, and residents.
ReplyDeleteCost is not a valid excuse to continue to ignore this issue. A closer inspection of the system as a whole may show that it costs Baltimore City more money to not implement school-based transportation for students. During our recent tour of the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center, it was mentioned that juveniles are increasingly entering the juvenile justice system due to behavior issues occurring in the hours immediately following school release. Not surprisingly, these problematic behaviors are concentrated in and around public transportation routes that service students on their way home from school. How much money and resources is the city spending collecting, processing, and detaining these children? Perhaps even more importantly, "Is Baltimore City comfortable sending the message that there is money available to detain and punish their youth, but the coffers run dry when it comes to safely getting children to and from school?" The correct answer here is a resounding, "No!"
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