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?

During an average week, my family uses the CTA, Metra, bicycles and automobiles. It is crucial that transportation to schools be ubiquitous and easily accessible for every child and teacher.

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

Safe busing with safe and reliable access to schools for all students is an imperative and a current challenge, especially with our low-income and marginalized communities and our special needs student population.

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

Schools, bus services, parental transportation, and scheduling must be perfected at every school. Transportation must be staggered to implement access, egress, and organized stress-free pick up and drop off for families. This would entail having relayed times for pick-ups and drop offs. With staggering, traffic doesn’t accumulate in streets and parking lots, and the principal and teachers can focus on children being transported safely.

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?

Providing traditional yellow school buses for all students with adequate and reasonable bus routes/times is critical and necessary, especially for our younger students.

As students get older and with their parental permission, students can navigate walking to/from school. Ensuring there are Safe Passage Workers available in all our neighborhoods to provide trusted adult presence for those students who may independently walk to/from school, along with neighborhood CAPS/CPD partnership and involvement to ensure safety for all our students as they navigate to/from school.

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?

Educating children on all elements of transportation safety (busing, walking, biking) and providing transportation career education for high school students (careers as Safe Passage Workers, bus driver careers) are great ways for students and parents to learn, remain engaged and ensure safety of our children as our priority.

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?

Bus relay staggering is a proven method for serious bus transportation issues and limited bus services.

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?

Making sure we are listening to those families and teachers/principles who are closest to our students with disabilities, to ensure we fully understand what their specific needs are and then being a voice and advocate to represent their needs and hold CPS accountable for what is legally mandated.