Since the pandemic, schools across the country have been struggling with absenteeism. If a student misses at least 10% of the school year, it’s considered chronic absenteeism.
In Florida, one school district struggling with these absences says part of the problem is that kids can’t always get to school. The district thinks they’ve found a solution: give students bikes.
Bikes against chronic absenteeism
It’s a beautiful sunny day, and Harold Bennett’s daughter Amani is getting a new bike through a program at Blue Lake Elementary, in DeLand.
“I'm very excited, since she's been asking me about a bike for a long time,” said Bennett.
Amani's new metallic purple bike comes with a matching helmet, and almost immediately after putting it on, she starts riding circles around her dad.
Amani Bennett is in the fourth grade and already has big dreams. Her favorite subject is science and she wants to be…
“I would say a vet, a vet doctor, or maybe like a bike rider,” said Bennett.

But in order for Amani 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, who have missed ten or more days of school this year.
The problem: chronic absenteeism
Last year, about 1 in 3 students in Volusia County Schools were chronically absent, which means they missed about 10% of the school year, or about 18 to 20 days.
They’re not alone. Chronic absenteeism has ballooned across the country since the COVID pandemic, when some schools closed down, or went online.
About 30% of students or 14.7 million kids nationwide were chronically absent during the 2021-2022 school year.
The American Federation of Teachers says chronic absenteeism is not only a predictor of poor academic success and social engagement at school, but whether a child will drop-out of school.
And it’s essentially an equity issue, says the nationwide teachers union: “students who come from low-income families, students of color, students with disabilities and students involved in the juvenile justice system are more likely to be chronically absent.”
Other factors like, “unsafe schools, bullying, housing instability, drugs and delinquency affect a student’s attendance.”
At Volusia County Schools all of these factors are at play including one other important one: a lack of consistent transportation to school, which is where the bikes come in.
The solution: bikes
Florida has a rare state law that says if you live within a 2-mile radius of school, you can’t take the bus to school.
There are a few exceptions to this rule for students with special needs, in school choice programs or who live in areas that would be considered too hazardous to walk or bike.
But students who don’t qualify for the bus, have to either walk to school or have their parents drive them. Some students bike to school, but not all families can afford bikes.
Now, roughly 170 students will be gifted district-provided bikes to get to school through the Volusia County Schools program.
A local hospital, AdventHealth Daytona Beach and the East Volusia Market, donated the money which the district used to purchase the 168 bikes and helmets.

They are for kids in the district who regularly miss school, and live within that two-mile radius from school, said school board member Ruben Colón.
“So this is a very intentioned effort. We have identified the students, we have looked at the barriers, the bikes are going to be distributed to students who they are going to make a difference,” said Colón.
Colón said that each school will identify students who qualify, and reach out to families to gauge their interest in participating. If they say yes, they can come pick up a brand new bike and helmet for keeps.
“Our curriculum is based around 180 days of the student being in school. And so when they're not in school, they're not learning, and that's reflected not only in their learning, but also in their scores. And so one of our goals is always to help our students achieve their maximum potential,” said Colón.
The pros and the cons of biking programs
Stetson University education professor Rajni Shankar-Brown, who is also a mom in the district, says she’s excited for the bikes.
She said bikes have already worked to fight chronic absenteeism in places like Sacramento, and they’re good for physical exercise too.
“I love the bike program, even not just for absenteeism, but thinking about increasing physical activity for students, especially with many students in our schools not getting physical education regularly anymore due to curriculum changes. And so we know cycling can be a great way to boost energy levels, and to start your morning off with that, and can even improve focus,” said Shankar-Brown.
But her excitement is tempered with caution. She’s worried about the safety of kids biking to class, especially without adult supervision.
“If you look at our community, in many spaces and areas, we don't really have bike infrastructure built, so there are a lot of high-traffic areas with inadequate infrastructure for cyclists. And then also, I think it's so important for our students who are receiving bikes to have proper training around bike safety, especially given the increase in accidents. And also, knowing in Florida, we have very, very high fatalities around bicyclists and pedestrians,” said Shankar-Brown.
The Smart Growth America Dangerous by Design 2024 report, ranked Central Florida, which includes Volusia County, as one of the most dangerous in the country for pedestrians.
In fact, the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach metro area where part of the district is located came in fifth place overall in the list of the most dangerous metropolitan areas in the country for bikers and walkers.
That’s why Shankar-Brown would like every child to be able to take the bus in Florida, and until that point any other means of getting to school must be safe.
She says just last year, a ten-year-old elementary student in the district, Shaolan "Lana" Kamaly was killed riding her bike to Sugar Mill Elementary School.
Safety first: the future of bikes in schools
School board member Ruben Colón acknowledges these safety concerns, and said that’s why safety is a focal point in the rollout of this new program in Volusia County Schools.
“Of course, safety is very important. My daughter has epilepsy, and so I recognize the importance of ensuring that our students wear their helmets and are safe. And so part of the wonderful donation from AdventHealth included bicycle helmets as well as there's going to be an education component in order to ensure that they're safe,” said Colón.
Davis Weis is CEO of the regional AdventHealth hospital system that donated the bikes. Weis is a lifelong bike rider and enthusiast and he echoed the importance of safety first.
“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 here,” said Weis.
Kids can ride their bikes on sidewalks here and there are crossing guards too.
Weis said if the program is done right, he hopes it doesn’t just help improve chronic absenteeism in the district, but that biking becomes a lifelong passion for many of these students, good for the body and good for the mind.
“So 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,” said Weis.
There is a goal for this bike program: the district hopes it will reduce chronic absenteeism by 10% by the end of the 2024-2025 school year.
Already the district says it has reduced chronic absenteeism by about 5% at the midway point of the year, by implementing simple things like automated attendance warning letters, real-time attendance tracking and notifications for parents and guardians, and monthly progress reports.