Page 66 - Superintendent Annual Report 24-25

HERE COMES THE BUS APPLICATION

The Department of Transportation Services successfully implemented the Here Comes the Bus (HCTB) app
for all District buses. HCTB provides families with real-time notifications about their child’s bus pick-up and
drop-off times, offering peace of mind. This application, accessible to all parents with the appropriate security
permissions, represents a significant step forward in enhancing communication and transparency between the
department and the community. FY25 yielded approximately 18,000 registered users.

Notable benefits included the following:

• Eliminated the need for parents to contact schools to
check on bus status
• Provided customizable maps, accessible on computers,
tablets, or smartphones
• Automated parent alerts for buses approaching
designated stops
• Decreased missed student pick-ups
• Reduced wait times at bus stops
• Shortened route times

STUDENT ATTENDANCE AND RE-ENGAGEMENT

The Student Attendance, Truancy, and Re-Engagement initiative completed the first year of a two-year Stronger
Connections Grant, awarded through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Throughout FY25, the District
enhanced its truancy intervention program to support students identified as habitually truant. The program
adopted a multifaceted approach that addressed the root causes of absenteeism while involving students,
families, schools, and the community. A seven-hour hybrid training program provided educators with strate-
gies to foster a school-wide culture of attendance and proactively address chronic absenteeism.

Students may be referred to the District’s truancy intervention program for further assistance if the interven-
tions from their school-based team do not adequately address their truancy problems. Participants in this
program benefit from intensive outreach efforts that include case management, personalized support plans,
and coordinated services to improve student attendance as reflected in Figure 2. Students who demonstrate
improvement and are no longer classified as habitually truant will exit the program. Conversely, if participants
do not respond positively to the prescribed interventions, a truancy petition may be submitted to the Juvenile
Court Division of the 15th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida.

Beyond addressing chronic absenteeism and truancy, the Department of Safe Schools continued its re-engage-
ment initiative. A team of case managers was tasked with locating students whose whereabouts were unknown
and assisting disengaged students with the school enrollment registration process. Referrals to community
agencies were made as needed to support parents with housing, utility bills, food assistance, physical and
mental health services, tutoring, mentoring, and childcare. Additionally, students were provided with clothing
and school supplies as needed.

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