Why DC School Connect Isn't Just Transportation—It's a Lifeline

Guest Blog by Niya White, Principal of Center City PCS Congress Heights Campus

As a school principal, you hope the biggest challenge your students face each day is a difficult math test or a forgotten homework assignment. But when I watch my students leave each afternoon, I'm not worried about their grades—I'm worried about whether they'll make it home safely.

At the Congress Heights Campus of Center City Public Charter Schools in Ward 8, the journey to and from school can be as challenging as anything happening in our classrooms. I've seen students come to school with bruises, torn clothing, and broken phones from incidents that happened simply while waiting for their bus. I've comforted children who were pepper-sprayed for standing too close to an altercation, and watched students get caught in the crossfire of disputes they had nothing to do with.

This is the reality for too many of our students, and it's exactly why DC School Connect has become more than just transportation. It's a lifeline.

The Reality of Getting to School in Wards 7 and 8

The violence students face getting to and from school happens during arrival and dismissal times. Not just in their neighborhoods, but right outside our doors. Yes, we have Safe Passage Ambassadors, and they do important work. But these violent incidents still unfold, and my students are caught in the middle simply because they're trying to get an education.

The only thing that has consistently kept my students safe has been DC School Connect. This program provides students in Wards 7 and 8 with a massive safety and security blanket, allowing us to send students home in the same condition they arrived, if not better.

An Equity Issue That Can't Be Ignored

I know some councilmembers may not see the necessity of this program because it doesn't serve their ward's constituents. But students in Northwest DC have benefited for years from dedicated metro bus service that provides Safe Passage directly to and from school, with no interruption in service. Students in Wards 7 and 8 deserve the same consistency and safety.

We could frame this as a transportation issue. The reduced services on the W4 line, which carries over 9,000 city students daily, certainly create challenges. We could talk about student attendance, truancy, and chronic absenteeism. But let's be honest about what this really is: students in Wards 7 and 8 fighting for access to the same basic safety that other parts of the city take for granted.

More Than a Program—It's About Student Lives

Taking away DC School Connect would force students in Wards 7 and 8 to fall further behind both emotionally and academically. When children are worried about making it safely to school, they can't focus on learning. When families are afraid to send their kids out the door, attendance suffers.

This isn't about providing a service that benefits only some students while others go without. It's about ensuring that all DC students—regardless of their zip code—have the same opportunity to get to school safely and focus on their education once they're there.

Students in Wards 7 and 8 shouldn't have to fight for their lives to get an education. DC School Connect recognizes this reality and provides a solution that works. We need to maintain funding for this critical program and consider expansion in the years to come.

Because at its heart, this program is about one simple thing: making sure our students survive to learn another day.

Learn more about Center City Public Charter Schools at centercitypcs.org.