In an effort to address the city's rising rates of chronic absenteeism among students, the San Antonio City Council has given the green light to a new initiative providing free bus passes to middle and high schoolers. Spearheaded by District 7 Councilmember Marina Alderete Gavito, the program is specifically designed to eliminate the transportation challenges that often prevent youth from attending school and participating in after-school activities.
San Antonio is tackling chronic absenteeism head-on, with nearly one in four students in the San Antonio ISD missing significant amounts of school time, according to a recent statement from the city's website. The research linking consistent absenteeism to a plethora of social and educational issues is robust and undeniable. With transportation being a chief culprit in keeping students away from their classrooms, free access to VIA Metropolitan Transit could be a game-changer.
"This is a transformational program to support our city's youth. No child should miss school, tutoring, or after-school programs simply because they cannot get there," Alderete Gavito emphasized, pointing out the direct correlation between the ease of transportation and academic success.
"This is just the beginning," Alderete Gavito said, casting an eye towards a future where San Antonio's youth are no longer hindered by something as fundamentally solvable as getting a ride to school.
