Today, the NYC Council passed Intro. 1099, a bill that Council Member Ben Kallos introduced at our suggestion, to allow parents to use GPS technology to track their child’s school bus. We are so excited and proud to have been a part of this community advocacy effort! Parents will have access to an app to track their children’s school bus by September 2019, and we know that this will be a useful tool (and a great relief) for the families of students in private and public schools alike.
One aspect of the bill must still be fixed: schools also require access to the data to truly ensure student safety. We have been promised that a technical “clean-up” bill to allow our schools to access the GPS data will be passed in time for September enactment as well.
The leadership of Council Member Ben Kallos, Education Chair Mark Treyger, and Speaker Corey Johnson in shepherding the bill through the legislative process is something we should all celebrate. Especially at this moment in our country, it’s truly heartening to see government work to advance the interests of vulnerable citizens.
Our community of special education students, families, schools, and advocates (shout out to Advocates for Children and NY Lawyers for the Public Interest!) is a mighty one and deserves to celebrate this win. Whether you came out to City Hall to stand at the press conference, helped to fill the Council’s Chambers to capacity, waited hours to testify in person, or submitted testimony by email, you helped make a difference for over 150,000 schoolchildren who rely on the school bus each day. Congratulations to all!
(image by Free Press/ Free Press Action Fund)