What types of transportation do you and your family use during an average week, and how has this shaped your view of transportation policy for schools?

We walk to and from our neighborhood school. We are lucky to live in a walkable neighborhood where we can walk to a pharmacy, grocery, dentist, doctor, veterinarian and many restaurant options. We do own a car and use when needed for sports for the kids or traveling. We take public transportation if going downtown or if available to a sporting event. We do recreational biking on the bike path and neighborhood streets.

Ideally we would have walkable communities in more parts of the city.

What are some of the transportation challenges that families and students face in your district?

There are not enough bike racks or storage solutions at our schools!!

School pick up/drop off can be chaotic and at times unsafe. What are ways you think this could be improved?

First, we need a city agency or office like OEMC to study traffic patterns of our schools and come up with viable recommendations. Next, we need a city agency to issue street signage on poles and on the roads to alert all of school traffic patterns (i.e., continuous flow of cars, bus parking spots, not blocking alleys, not idling, etc.) and associated fees/fines if not followed. It must be a city agency that supports this work because we need to protect emergency vehicles routes and access.

Studies show that childhood independence is critical for individual development. How can Chicago Public Schools better empower families to allow their children to be able to navigate independently – and most importantly, safely – to and from school?

CPS must use signage to clearly label "safe passage routes" for students and families in proximity of schools.

Most CPS students are offered driver's education when the time comes, but few are given the opportunity to learn about alternatives. What kind of educational opportunities around transportation do you think students should have?

All students should learn bike safety, biking rules, and rights of bikers. In addition, all students should learn how to navigate CTA busses and trains.

I think education around how critical public transportation is to a city’s fabric. We also need to continue fighting for bike specific lanes.

Increasingly, a lack of busing has become a serious burden for many families’ day-to-day lives as services continue to be cut. What are some short-term and long-term solutions that you think would address this?

My first action item is to share and discuss the March 20, 2024 aldermanic sign-on letter with proposed busing solutions with the new Board. Next, I would gather all current press articles, steps CPS has taken to address the busing dilemma, and outreach to all civic leaders that have worked on this solution. By bringing together as many pieces of information before the Board I believe a solution can be found that is triangulated, thorough, and brings together families, students, and all CPS stakeholders.

For many years now, Chicago Public Schools has failed to meet federally mandated requirements for accessible transportation for students with disabilities. How do you envision ensuring that students with disabilities’ transportation needs are met?

It is a violation of federal law under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to not provide transportation.

I envision CPS following its policies and ensuring the IEP/Section 504 team makes determinations, based on individual students needs, if transportation is a related service. I believe that ultimately the local school administrator ensures that transportation needs are met. If transportation needs are not met, CPS will continue to cycle through litigation.