- Some parents in Lansing face difficulties with daily school drop-off and pick-up, leading some families, like Jill and her daughter Zora, to choose walking or biking as alternatives.
- The Lansing School District offers three transportation options for families: gas cards, CATA bus passes, and school bus rides for K-8 students who live beyond a mile from their school.
- Families not within a mile of school can apply for a $50 monthly gas card, while one-time $25 gas cards are available for those with immediate needs or special circumstances.
- The district introduced these programs to help alleviate financial pressures on families and address the previous bus driver shortage, with these options still available this school year.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Getting your kids to and from school every day can be a hassle for some parents in my neighborhood. The Lansing School District has three options to make drop-off and pick-up easier. I’m your Lansing neighborhood reporter, Asya Lawrence, here with what those options are.
"There are so many parents and students trying to come out at the same time. It’s really overwhelming," said Jill Dombrowski.
Jill Dombrowski’s second grader, Zora, is a student at Pattengill Elementary. But just getting to and from the classroom every day can be one of the biggest challenges.
"The most communication we get from our principal is about school drop-off and pick-up because it’s a nightmare."Dombrowski said.
To avoid the parking lot battle of parents and students, Jill and Zora choose to walk to school each day.
"We also advocate with a local bicycle organization to get a bike rack put in at our school," said Dombrowski.
But while some choose to walk, bike, or ride the school or CATA bus, the Lansing School District also wants parents and students to know about a rather unique transportation option: gas cards.
"Right now, we have about 2,400 students who are utilizing the gas card option." said Marisa Rivas, LSD Operations manager.
Families who live in the district and are not within a mile radius of their school can apply to be eligible for a gas card that is reloaded with $50 each month, an unlimited CATA pass, or, for K-8 students, rides on the Dean Transportation school buses.
The district also offers one-time $25 gas cards for those with extenuating circumstances or for families who may immediately need some gas.
They first introduced the gas cards and CATA bus passes to address a bus driver shortage. District officials say that's not much of an issue this school year, but the options remain available to parents and students to relieve some of the financial pressures of driving to school.
"We really just want to provide the support that families are looking for and need because it’s hard right now for a lot of people," Rivas said.
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