DES MOINES, Iowa — Weeks ago, Lincoln High School Principal Paul Williamson began a fundraiser for the school to help provide students with transportation.
The school asked the community to donate so Lincoln High could purchase $24 DART bus passes for 800 students.
Under current Iowa law, high school students living within three miles of their school don't qualify for school bus services.
In years prior, Lincoln High has provided transportation for these students, with funding from partner organizations, but now they had to go a different route.
Without that funding or access, students living within three miles of Lincoln High are forced to walk or catch a ride.
For some, walking may be easy, but during severe weather events, getting to class can be miserable.
"Southside is not full of sidewalks, so that makes it more challenging when you have the snow and the plows are trying to run, and we're not able to get into the neighborhoods right away to plow," Principal Williamson said. "It makes it really challenging."
During recent snow storms, the school saw an 11% decrease in attendance the day after recent winter storms, but this online fundraiser will help hundreds get to school.
As of Friday, the fundraiser has rolled in $4,300 to provide more than 100 students with a DART bus pass.
However, there are "rules" these students must follow to receive a DART bus pass. Students must pass all their classes and maintain good behavior, but what constitutes each regulation is fairly vague.
That means, depending on academic standing and attendance, access to their DART bus passes can be revoked. This is not a standard that students who go on school buses must uphold.
When asked about why this difference exists, Principal Williamson said: "... if you have four months of bad weather a year, that's 3,200 bus passes and we don't have the funding for 3,200 bus passes."
Williamson said they may consider holding this fundraiser again in the future if they cannot adhere to their previous model of providing transportation for students.
"If they're not here, they can't learn," Williamson said.