Read this story from the Vital Village Facebook page this morning about the difficulty some kids have just getting to and from school every day. The article was written by Yawu Miller and published in the Bay State Banner. Here's an excerpt:
BPS Operations Chief John Hanlon noted that the department’s policy of providing transportation to elementary and middle school students who live more than a mile from their school is more generous than what state law mandates. But as yet there are no plans to extend the M7 pass to all students.
“We’re continuing to explore the possibility of doing that sometime down the road,” he said.
In the meantime, students who walk face challenges ranging from 40-minute-long walks to sexual harassment.
Rogers cited the case of one student who walks just under two miles from Bowdoin Street in Dorchester to Boston Day and Evening Academy in Dudley Square. With six siblings, her mother cannot afford the $30 a month it would cost for her to buy a monthly student pass. It’s not an easy walk, says Rogers.
“She had to get a restraining order because a Level 3 sex offender was following her,” he said. “If she lived one block [further] away, she’d qualify for an M7 pass.”
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