School Bus Bill of Rights campaign
Donation protected
- I co-founded Parents to Improve School Transportation (PIST NYC) in 2010, a volunteer group of caregivers of students who ride yellow school buses.
- The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) and its Office of Pupil Transportation (OPT) ignored our warnings against harmful practices that caused a worker shortage even before Covid-19.
- Too many children are forced to be on the bus for over four hours a day; others miss school days entirely due to lack of a route.
- We see this as violating civil rights of access to education in the existing laws for riders with disabilities and those in temporary housing.
- The workers' job rights, and everyone's safety, are also being compromised by the emphasis on low bids from for-profit companies.
- We need independent oversight of student transportation by trusted representatives from the most affected communities.
- PIST and allies have drafted a School Bus Bill of Rights to apply solutions to these problems.
- We need funds and lots of help to get this placed on the November ballot as a referendum so you can Vote Yes!
- Money raised here, offline, and through grants will go to campaign supplies, office space, stipends/carfare for petitioners, and advertising in local media. Email [email redacted] for more information.
Organizer
Johnnie Stevens
Organizer
New York, NY