children out of school in america - University of Tennessee Digital ...

to be transported. Two dollars is a large bite out of
poor families' budget, particularly when a family
has more than one secondary school-age child.
Portland school officials seem to recognize that
the bus charges may create a hardship for some families:
"It has recently come to our attention that a number
of pupils living in a low income housing area
are being deprived of an opportunity to attend
school by reason of the fact that they are unable to
purchase bus tickets ... it is our contention that
this hardship will be eliminated if the authority to
grant bus tickets on a discretionary basis were
granted to this office for the purpose of serving
the needy pupils."126
School officials devised an informal hardship "policy"
during the 1972-73 school year and a written
one during 1973-74. However, this policy has not
been widely publicized or circulated. Assistant Superintendent
Barlett told ns: "I don't think we miss
88
many. 1 think the word gets around.... We haven't
sent out any bulletins.... I feel certain that anyone
out there who doesn't have transportation finds out.
... 1 think the grapevine in the Riverton Project is
really good."127 It is doubtful he is right. Parents of
over 40 percent of the children we surveyed who
were in the 9th grade or above specifically complained
about the $2.00 per week expense. No
Riverton parent ever mentioned the existence of a
waiver policy to us. And school officials received
only 7 requests for waiver of the weekly $2.00 in
1972-73 and 15 in 1973-74.
While it is not clear how many children may be
staying out of school solely because of the transportation
policy, we know some are. Riverton has the
highest percentage of children out of school of all
the areas we surveyed-IO.8 percent out 45 days
or more. 42 percent of children out of school were
habitually truant. 17 percent of children 12 to 15
years old and 21 percent of 16 and 17-year-olds
were out of school. The problems of transportation
were often cited as a contributory cause. Moreover,
the Riverton community considers this policy just
one more burden unnecessarily imposed on poor
families and children.
-"Since the family cannot afford bus tickets, Jeffrey
often must walk."
-A mother complaining about the cost of bus
tickets stated that the school says after the 7th
grade the kids "are old enough to find their own
way."
126 Memorandum from Phil Gerber and John Trevanir to
Clyde Bartlett, Assistant Superintendent, Portland, Maine,
October, 1973.
127 Interview with Clyde Bartlett, Assistant Superintendent
of Schools, Portland, Maine, t t/29173.
128 We are puzzled about the official school stance. Under a
new school financing plan, communities are now eligible
for 100% state reimbursement for transportation expenses
at the 1972 level, with a 711.z % increase yearly without cutting
into reimbursement for other expenditures.
129 It is important that standards be devised so that the
current existing discretion in the Office of Pupil Personnel
to deny transportation be eliminated. Many parents complained
to us of unsympathetic principal response to requests
for free bus tickets. As the current "policy" still
depends on principals to funnel requests for tickets to
Pupil Personnel for action, clear guidelines are crucial if
parents are not to be discouraged from applying for help
at all. People who are informed of their entitlements and
the basis for tbem are more likely to seek them than those
who are not.