ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Since the pandemic, schools across the country have been struggling with kids missing school. And if a student is gone at least 10% of the year, it's considered chronic absenteeism. In Florida, one school district says part of the problem is that kids can't always get to school, so they've come up with a solution - give students bikes. Danielle Prieur with Central Florida Public Media has the story.
DANIELLE PRIEUR, BYLINE: Hey, guys.
It's a beautiful sunny day, and Harold Bennett's daughter, Amani, is getting a new bike at her elementary school in DeLand, Florida, just west of Daytona Beach.
HAROLD BENNETT: I'm very excited, since she's been asking about a bike for a long time.
PRIEUR: Her new metallic purple bike comes with a matching helmet. And almost immediately after putting it on, she starts riding circles around her dad.
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PRIEUR: Amani Bennett is in the fourth grade and already has big dreams. Her favorite subject is science, and she wants to be...
AMANI BENNETT: ...A vet. A vet doctor. Or maybe, like, a bike rider.
PRIEUR: But in order to achieve those dreams, she needs to be in class. She's already considered at risk for chronic absenteeism, like a handful of other kids at her school. A local hospital donated the money for the 168 bikes and helmets. They're for kids in the district who regularly miss school, says school board member Ruben Colon.
RUBEN COLON: This is very intentional to address chronic absenteeism and ensure that we're able to remove those barriers from our students and ensure that they are in class.
PRIEUR: The reason bikes are needed here is that Florida has a very rare state law that says most kids who live within a 2-mile radius of school can't take the bus. The idea is that kids could walk to school. Most parents just drive their kids, says Stetson University education professor Rajni Shankar-Brown.
RAJNI SHANKAR-BROWN: I think families that do have transportation - I know several chose to do that as opposed to letting their student walk.
PRIEUR: But she says not every family has a car or a work schedule that allows for drop-off and pickup, and she's worried about kids biking to school on their own.
SHANKAR-BROWN: We don't really have bike infrastructure built, so there are a lot of high-traffic areas with inadequate infrastructure for cyclists, and so this worries me.
PRIEUR: She would like every child to be able to take the bus. She says just last year, a 10-year-old elementary student in the district was killed riding her bike to school. The regional AdventHealth hospital system donated the bikes. Its CEO, David Weis, says they're aware of the risks, and that's why kids are also learning the rules of the road.
DAVID WEIS: Of course, as these bikes were given to the students, they were given a helmet as well with them. But they're also learning all about bike safety through their PE education program.
PRIEUR: Kids can ride their bikes on sidewalks here, and there are crossing guards. Plus, Weis says the bikes are a good way to fight chronic absenteeism and get some exercise.
WEIS: It's a perfect time for these young people to get their bikes and to be able to put safe bike handling practices into effect so they can stay safe as they use these bikes for fun and for transportation.
PRIEUR: There is a goal for this bike program. The district hopes it'll reduce chronic absenteeism by 10% by the end of the 2024-2025 school year.
For NPR News, I'm Danielle Prieur at an elementary school in DeLand, Florida. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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