On Monday, September 30, Policy and Advocacy Associate Caitlyn Passaretti submitted testimony to the New York City Council’s Committee on Education and Committee of Contracts for an Oversight Hearing on school transportation. On behalf of CCC, this testimony urges city leaders to fund bus service or other door-to-door transportation for students in foster care who need it to maintain school stability.

Read the testimony below.

Testimony of Caitlyn Passaretti
Policy and Advocacy Associate 
Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York
Committee on Education and Committee on Contracts
Oversight Hearing School Transportation 
September 30, 2024 

Since 1944, Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York has served as an independent, multi-issue child advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring every New York child is healthy, housed, educated, and safe. CCC does not accept or receive public resources, provide direct services, or represent a sector or workforce; our priority is improving outcomes for children and families through civic engagement, research, and advocacy. We document the facts, engage and mobilize New Yorkers, and advocate for solutions to ensure the wellbeing of New York’s children, families, and communities. 

We would like to thank Chair Joseph and the rest of the Committee on Education and Chair Won and the rest of the Committee on Contracts for holding this important oversight hearing on Upgrading School Transportation Services & Rebidding Contracts.  

While both federal and state law require the City to provide transportation to students in foster care so they can remain in their original schools, the DOE currently does not guarantee any form of transportation to these students. This is causing deeply harmful disruptions for students in foster care, including by forcing them to transfer schools or foster homes in order to access an education. Being in foster care is disruptive enough for a young person; the DOE must do everything in its power to ensure that students in foster care are supported and, at the bare minimum, can get to school.  

During the 2019-20 school year, one in five NYC students had to change schools upon their initial placement in foster care. As of 2020, 25% of youth in foster care graduate within four years, compared to 77% of youth not in care.i This disruption of students’ lives and education is unacceptable, unjust and avoidable. 

In the summer of 2024, CCC conducted listening sessions with young people in a variety of different programs, including the Fair Futures Advisory Board, which is composed of young people with lived experience in foster care. Accessing a high-quality education was a pressing issue that arose throughout the sessions. Youth in foster care especially highlighted how challenging it was to finish high school when placed all over the city with no reliable transportation. Youth in foster care named how being able to remain at schools of their choice is nearly impossible when moving between different foster homes throughout the city. All students deserve the ability to remain connected to their school community to help support learning, stability, and community. According to the DOE website, students in foster care in grades Pre-K-6 are eligible for school bus service OR a student MetroCard; if a bus is not available in 10 business days, alternative transportation may be available. We ask the City to invest $5 million for the DOE to provide bus service or other door-to-door transportation to the relatively small number of students in foster care who need it to maintain school stability. 

When busing is not provided, other options include rideshares and reimbursements. Prepaid rideshare could be a solution to this problem, but it is often difficult for foster youth to get access to prepaid rideshare accounts. These challenges include youth not having a credit card or bank account, a requirement to set up an account, and they may be too young to ride in a rideshare alone. Typically, for a young child, the foster parent or a paid chaperone must ride with the child in a rideshare. However, this does not always align with the schedule of the foster parent, especially if the school is far away.  

Finally, foster youth often have difficulty getting reimbursed for transportation costs. This is because they often do not have the documentation needed to prove that they incurred the costs. This can make it difficult for youth to afford transportation, which can further limit their opportunities. 

We therefore join partners across the city in urging city leaders to invest $5 million for the DOE to provide bus service or other door-to-door transportation to students in foster care who need it to maintain school stability. 

Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony on this issue, and we look forward to collaborating to ensure youth in foster care receive the support needed to thrive.  

i NYC Center for Innovation Through Data Intelligence and the NYC Mayor’s Office (2022). Education Outcomes for NYC Youth in Foster Care. Accessed: https://www.nyc.gov/assets/cidi/downloads/pdfs/Education_Outcomes_May19_2022.pdf