Some Successes:
A Boynton student faithfully used the elaborate, time-consuming transportation strategy her liaison created, so that she could participate in the musical--and her grades immediately went up! Recently, she landed the lead part in her new school in Newfield.
The Cayuga Heights liaison engaged her colleagues to ensure transportation was available to all families who wanted to attend their 3rd grade storytelling school event. A 5th grade student who was able to attend the 3rd grade storytelling event with her family told a teacher how happy she was to go, since she missed out when she was in 3rd grade herself due to lack of transportation.
“The Red School Rides service is invaluable to parents as well as to our district in general, easing stress on parents and keeping parental involvement in their child’s school experience as strong as possible." - Ann E. Levy, former Chair of the Ithaca City School District’s Special Education Department
ICSD administrators and activity leaders are now adding ridesharing sign-ups to activity sign-up forms for parents/caregivers—catalyzing the triple effect of ridesharing: meeting unmet transportation needs, promoting cross-class/culture relationships among school families, and fostering a community culture of active inclusion.
- On average, around 35 individual families a year are helped to find transportation solutions to attend critical school functions and meetings by their School Transportation Liaisons. Rides have been found through various means for students and families to attend school assemblies (Cayuga Heights), CSA transition meeting (Boynton), PTA Conferences (South Hill Elementary), and the Halloween Parade (Enfield)
- One liaison called 16 families enrolled in South Hill’s Extended Day Program (EDP), and suggested a plan to cover unmet needs to the transportation office. As a result, 15 families signed up to use 3 new bus routes taking children home after EDP; this allowed students facing transportation barriers to not only participate, but to mingle with students who would otherwise have taken private vehicles.
The Cayuga Heights liaison engaged her colleagues to ensure transportation was available to all families who wanted to attend their 3rd grade storytelling school event. A 5th grade student who was able to attend the 3rd grade storytelling event with her family told a teacher how happy she was to go, since she missed out when she was in 3rd grade herself due to lack of transportation.
- Parent-teacher conferences were held close to families’ residences, thanks to liaison requests to the Principal at Cayuga Heights Elementary.
- Liaisons helped wo students and their families were assisted in accessing their transportation rights under the McKenny Vento Law.
- One liaison’s ‘radical’ idea enabled the under-utilized LACS shuttle to be used for vulnerable West Hill students struggling to get to other schools in the district.
“The Red School Rides service is invaluable to parents as well as to our district in general, easing stress on parents and keeping parental involvement in their child’s school experience as strong as possible." - Ann E. Levy, former Chair of the Ithaca City School District’s Special Education Department
- The liaison/SSTC team raised an issue of inequity with the Superintendent, when enrichment sign-up practices were strongly favoring more privileged members of the Fall Creek community who could easily walk/stop in to the school during the day. A new policy has been introduced that offers equal access to all families and tracks transportation barriers.
- An SSTC-produced guide to TCAT but routes relevant to each school is being used by ICSD administrators to help the free bus pass program serve students.
ICSD administrators and activity leaders are now adding ridesharing sign-ups to activity sign-up forms for parents/caregivers—catalyzing the triple effect of ridesharing: meeting unmet transportation needs, promoting cross-class/culture relationships among school families, and fostering a community culture of active inclusion.