Thanks, OP, for letting us know!

OP here.

I got in touch with DCPS. The program that is being discontinued is one that was for students in particular schools that were judged as "low performing" under NCLB. Apparently there are a very small number of kids affected, and each family has been contacted personally.

There are no changes to the regular bus fare/metro discount program on the table.

Any news on whether or not this includes bus fares and metro disount? That would be hard - an additional ~$120/month for us with two kids who take the bus

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS does provide transportation for kids who live in failing school districts and get into another school via the lottery, a hold over from the No Child Left Behind provisions. However, they have announced that they will no longer be provided those services after this school year.

Since when? The city ONLY provides transportation to special needs students.

Not true. Under NCLB it started but has been phased out over the last few years. There are still kids in the system though who are bused to receiving schools.

I used to run the school buses in DC. Yes, the DCPS school buses and we did not provide transportation for these kids. I've only been gone 3 years so I have no idea what you are talking about.

Correct, typically the actual DCPS buses have been special Ed and they used contract buses for the NCLB kids. This has gone one for many years-- even before you left. At our receiving school it typically meant a large charter bus (touring, with bathroom type!) would pull up blocking a tiny residential street and a handful of kids would get out. This year I noticed that they are using a smaller executive type bus. But the yellow DCPS bus still brings the special Ed kids separately.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS does provide transportation for kids who live in failing school districts and get into another school via the lottery, a hold over from the No Child Left Behind provisions. However, they have announced that they will no longer be provided those services after this school year.

Since when? The city ONLY provides transportation to special needs students.

Not true. Under NCLB it started but has been phased out over the last few years. There are still kids in the system though who are bused to receiving schools.

I used to run the school buses in DC. Yes, the DCPS school buses and we did not provide transportation for these kids. I've only been gone 3 years so I have no idea what you are talking about.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS does provide transportation for kids who live in failing school districts and get into another school via the lottery, a hold over from the No Child Left Behind provisions. However, they have announced that they will no longer be provided those services after this school year.

Since when? The city ONLY provides transportation to special needs students.

Are you new to the city?

No, they are just someone who is NEVER wrong.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Currently all kids ride the bus for me when you show your DC One card to the driver.

I get my child a monthly metro (train) pass for $30 a month and it's unlimited.

Yes. I am trying to find out if this is the program that is being cut, or if the messages are about another program.

I don't think it's that program. News would have been bigger...don't you think?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS does provide transportation for kids who live in failing school districts and get into another school via the lottery, a hold over from the No Child Left Behind provisions. However, they have announced that they will no longer be provided those services after this school year.

Since when? The city ONLY provides transportation to special needs students.

Are you new to the city?

Correct. It is part of NCLB. Families can opt of the failing neighborhood school for a more successful school within the district and the district must provide transportation, which can be expensive.
The ESEA waiver allows districts to stop providing this option.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS does provide transportation for kids who live in failing school districts and get into another school via the lottery, a hold over from the No Child Left Behind provisions. However, they have announced that they will no longer be provided those services after this school year.

Since when? The city ONLY provides transportation to special needs students.

Wrong. We get two buses of kids at our school under the NCLB provisions. So do many othe schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS does provide transportation for kids who live in failing school districts and get into another school via the lottery, a hold over from the No Child Left Behind provisions. However, they have announced that they will no longer be provided those services after this school year.

Since when? The city ONLY provides transportation to special needs students.

Not true. Under NCLB it started but has been phased out over the last few years. There are still kids in the system though who are bused to receiving schools.

Anonymous wrote:DCPS does provide transportation for kids who live in failing school districts and get into another school via the lottery, a hold over from the No Child Left Behind provisions. However, they have announced that they will no longer be provided those services after this school year.

Since when? The city ONLY provides transportation to special needs students.

PP who posted the letter with the name/contact info -- thanks much! Our school provided us with an abridged version, and we got much less information.

Anonymous wrote:What do they mean by fare card assistance? I certainly hope they are not referring to free metro bus rides and monthly metro train passes for $30 for DC students with DC one card. If they are they are certainly being very myopic and hurting a lot of kids.

That's crazy - it can't be. That's how much of DC public school kids get to school.

There was a story yesterday on WTOP with a DC school board member suggesting that the reduced fare program should be expanded to include Metro.

There must be a debate going on right now. The cost of the programs (free or reduced bus and metro) are really substantial. However, they did say that truancy rates were lower now that kids had better access to transportation.