HopSkipDrive Commends the Biden-Harris Administration’s Efforts to Combat Chronic Absenteeism in Schools

May 20, 2024 at 20:21 PM EDT

White House issues new fact sheet highlighting the need for more equitable access to school transportation as key solution to absenteeism crisis

HopSkipDrive, a technology company that solves complex transportation challenges where there is a heightened need for safety, equity and care, commends the White House for the new actions and resources it announced at its Every Day Counts Summit to curb chronic absenteeism.

Ahead of the event, the White House released a fact sheet laying out strategies that the Administration believes school districts across the country should adopt to combat chronic absenteeism and bring attendance rates back to pre-pandemic levels.

One of its key points includes “addressing transportation needs to improve school attendance,” echoing years of research – from the Center for Applied Research, University of Alabama, Temple University and others – showing a clear link between consistent, direct transportation and chronic absenteeism.

“We can’t solve America's chronic absenteeism crisis until safe, direct, reliable rides to and from school are accessible to all children,” said Trish Donahue, HopSkipDrive's Senior Vice President of Legal and Policy. “It’s great to see so many experts and government officials examine this issue, and we commend our current Administration for recognizing that transportation is one of the ways we can ensure more students can consistently attend their classes.”

HopSkipDrive supports more than 10,000 schools across the country to optimize school transportation, particularly for students most at risk to be absent from school, including those experiencing homelessness, in foster care, or with disabilities. In Riverside, California, for example, the county school district used HopSkipDrive for targeted intervention for foster youth, increasing their attendance rates from 29 percent to 79 percent.

About HopSkipDrive

HopSkipDrive is a technology company that solves complex transportation challenges where there is a heightened need for safety, equity, and care. HopSkipDrive’s marketplace arranges care-centered transportation across 13 states and Washington, DC, supplementing other transportation options by connecting kids, older adults, or anyone needing extra support, to highly-vetted caregivers on wheels, such as grandparents, babysitters, and nurses. HopSkipDrive also builds software and offers advisory services that solve the biggest transportation challenges facing schools and school districts around the country, including budget cuts, bus driver shortages, and reaching climate goals. HopSkipDrive currently partners with school districts, government agencies, and nonprofits, including supporting more than 10,000 schools. More than three million rides over 61 million miles have been completed through HopSkipDrive since the company was founded in 2014 by three working mothers.