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?

My daughter Rachelle gets up daily at 5:30 am for a 6:05 a.m. bus pick up. She travels from Chatham to West Town. Despite its large capacity, the bus often only has a few students on it. I now work from home 3 days a week, but prior to the pandemic, I was accustomed to logging an average of 3 hours a day in the car for my own commute and that of my children. As a student with special needs, my daughter receives bus service, but to participate in school activities whether for her or me (LSC, after school choir), I have to drive. Because she is medically complex, we have a lot of doctor appointments. I often have to pick her up from school or drop her off to accommodate those appointments. Given that my daughter’s school is halfway across town (north), and my son’s was farther south than our home my commute was a long one.

Our experience demonstrates one aspect of the importance of quality neighborhood schools and school-provided transportation for ALL students. No doubt we would have saved significant time and money with the children attending local schools. The lack of quality neighborhood schools locks students out of the most affordable, healthy and efficient method of transportation: walking. Although that will likely never be an option for my daughter, greater proximity to home would enable her participation in after school activities and increase the likelihood of friendships and socialization with peers outside of school.

I strongly believe all children should have access to school transportation. It pains me that thousands of families have limited options, particularly those with students with special needs.

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

My district has some unique challenges in that there are pockets of strong access to public transportation (i.e. South Shore) and other areas that are remote and far (e.g. Hegewisch). It’s no secret that our public transportation systems are often unsafe, yet southsiders have fought for extension of the red line and increased infrastructure investment to allow for greater access to bus and train service. Families with multiple children sometimes have to take them to separate schools with conflicting start and end times, creating an additional travel burden. Additionally, our streets in certain parts of the district are poorly maintained and lack separate bus and bike lanes, which create additional hazards for students traveling to school.

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

Every school has its own process, but there are some universal strategies for relieving congestion around school zones. I live near Simeon High School, and it can take almost 15 minutes to get from one end of the street to the other between the CTA buses, students darting across traffic, cars letting students out in the middle of the street, and stalled cars in the drop-and-go lane. In some areas traffic studies around school zones may be warranted by CDOT to ensure traffic flow plans that improve safety and reduce risk of harm. Small changes like implementing separate entrances for specific grades, creating a bypass lane for general traffic, prohibiting parking before and after school hours, implementing one-way traffic on school blocks, and increasing safety patrols or crossing guards can make a significant difference.

Another option would be extending drop-off times; many schools are closed until 15 minutes before the start, which means that parents are dropping off students at the same time. Extending drop off time would allow for less congestion.

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?

Partnerships with the Chicago Transit Authority and community organizations will be key. Increasing safety patrols for pedestrian students will foster a sense of independence from their parents, with the added safety net of adults to watch them along their school route. CPS in conjunction with CDPH can offer courses to families on bike and pedestrian safety and work with the city to expand bike lanes or create no car zones on specific sides of the street during school hours. Years ago, the University of Chicago conducted research on pediatric pedestrian accidents and turned those learnings into concrete programming for schools in and around Woodlawn and neighboring communities. CPS could collaborate with universities to explore best practices for cultivating independence while keeping kids safe.

Some schools receive additional CPD patrols at dismissal, but for students who don't attend their neighborhood school, safe passage parents/community members could be stationed at CTA locations to provide an additional watchful eye. CPS should continuously solicit feedback from families and immediately address lapses in safety so parents and students feel empowered to travel to and from school alone.

Finally, we have to extend safe passage hours. Most schools offer the community-based initiative during pick-up and drop-off times, but students who attend after-school programs also need the additional support traveling home when there are fewer adults present.

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?

Many students neither own nor know how to ride a bike. Schools could offer lessons on bike riding and maintenance. Recently, the University of Chicago’s Southside Science Festival offered exposure to skateboarding--the children were thrilled. Ultimately, kids need exposure to other modes of transportation--and their parents need to know they are safe and knowledgeable about using them. We could explore partnerships with companies like Lime Scooters that already have robust programs that teach students how to ride and repair bikes and scooters. We should implement walking field trips and have students use GPS or other tools to navigate to locations around the school. Finally, geography often only focuses on states and cities. By teaching students how to navigate their immediate area, we show them how to safely and effectively travel without a vehicle.

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?

Every student should have access to free transportation to school. To achieve this, I will call for the creation of a transportation committee on the board that will be tasked with assessing the current bus crisis, working with decision-makers to find solutions. Among the solutions I propose is creating a talent pipeline for CPS alumni and graduating seniors to train for commercial driver licenses (CDL) as apprenticeships. Collaboration with local CDL training providers such as Olive Harvey College could create a new pool of drivers.

There is a severe national bus driver shortage, which is exacerbated by poor bus route logistics. My daughter rides a bus that only has a few students. Not only is this economically unsound, but it’s a waste of resources when thousands of families, including general education students, need access to transportation.

I am committed to working alongside community organizations to source other solutions. This initiative is crucial in ensuring that no student misses out on education due to transportation barriers. Empowering parents and leveraging community resources can create a more inclusive and supportive environment for all students to thrive academically.

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?

Many of my ideas in this space are articulated above. At a basic level, all of our buses must be ADA-accessible. We must utilize buses with working ramps/lifts, areas for wheelchairs. Aides need better training. I find that every year I have to teach the aide how to work with my blind child. No one has ever prepared the aide to know how to serve as a sighted guide. Additional training is sorely needed. We also have aide shortages. Just as I advocate developing talent pipelines from within for bus drivers, we could be training parents to serve as bus aides. CPS recently ended the stipend program that gave families $500/month to transport their students to school. By ending this without additional solutions CPS has effectively refused to educate thousands of students. These parents needed solutions not bureaucracy. Although far from ideal, the transportation stipend provided assistance and offset costs. We must revive that program until we can create an adequate system to transport students.

There are those that advocate for parent-led ride share programs. I struggle with this as the mother of a student with special needs. Drivers need to be trained and screened. I would want to ensure that my child, any child, were truly in safe hands before turning them over to a stranger.