The community-led walking bus kicked off Wednesday at Trailblazer, formerly Venable, Elementary school.
City of Promise runs the walking bus, which is a group of kids who walk to and from school. They live in Westhaven and 10th and Page neighborhoods.
Price Thomas with City of Promise said first, they want families to make education a priority. If they're unable to get their kid to school safely and on time, that's when the walking bus comes in.
"Chronic absenteeism is something that we should be thinking about holistically as a community from the school to community organizations to our public and private partners. So, we are trying to build a model that leans into neighborhood leadership and helps make education a priority and helps barriers for our families to make sure that our young folks are in school on time and are prepared to receive instruction," Thomas said.
Every day different community partners volunteer with the group. Wednesday it was Charlottesville Police.
"We also want to have interactions with community members during great times, right, when nothing is wrong and having those interactions. But, we want to get them young, possibly gain some interest in a career in law enforcement," Sgt. Eric Thomas with CPD said.
Right now, the walking bus is only at Trailblazer. Leaders are hoping to expand the program as they keep going.
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