A new morning bus route is giving students in three northwest Tallahassee neighborhoods a reliable ride to Godby High School, an effort school leaders said they hope will improve attendance, punctuality and academic performance, reported WTXL News.
Students living in the Joe Louis, Griffin Heights and Basin Street neighborhoods faced decades of transportation gaps because their homes are located within two miles of school. That distance made them ineligible for traditional school bus service, leaving many to walk or use public transportation.
Principal Marcus Scott said stated that those commutes often caused students to arrive late, miss breakfast and enter class after spending time outside in Florida’s heat.
“You just got to school. You didn’t even have time to get into the cafeteria to eat breakfast,” Godby senior Taylon Thomas said. “And you’re sitting in the classroom, and you don’t know what to do, and your mind is fuzzy. You’re hungry. You’re hot.”
Beginning this school year, students in the three neighborhoods will have access to a dedicated morning bus route to Godby High School, which will not operate in the afternoon. Scott said removing the transportation barrier could give students more incentive to attend school.
“If I can just go right up the block to catch a bus to come to school, I’m more motivated to come to school,” he said via the report.
Scott said he hopes the route’s effects will extend beyond attendance, improving students’ grades, GPAs, morale and school spirit while helping more of them graduate.
Thomas said morning transportation addresses the most pressing need because many students remain near campus after classes, stopping at nearby businesses before heading home. For Thomas, the route’s greatest promise is that students who previously stayed home when they could not find a ride will now have a dependable way to reach school.
Written with the assistance of AI.
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