November ends with a big win for parents and families in East St. Louis – with the Illinois State Legislature overriding Governor Rauner’s veto on House Bill 5195. This bill, now law, allows the East St. Louis School District 189 to provide transportation for students who live close to their schools but whose commute to school is through a “dangerous” area.
When Parents United for Change formed four years ago, they made winning transportation in the district a priority. First, they won busing for 200 preschoolers attending the school district’s Preschool for All program. Then, they won busing for 265 additional elementary and middle school students, as they got parts of District 189 classified as “hazardous” areas by the Illinois Department of Transportation. But this did not provide busing to all who needed it, so they brought the issue to State Legislator LaToya Greenwood who, last spring, introduced HB5195 to provide the ability to transport all students in dangerous areas with reimbursement for transportation costs from the State of Illinois. With HB 5195 now law, Parents United for Change achieved their big goal!
Way to go Parents United for Change!
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