Detroit school district considers paying parents, gas for carpools, and bikes to boost attendance

February 26, 2026

Detroit Public Schools Community District is exploring multiple new strategies to combat its chronic absenteeism crisis, which affected nearly 61% of students last school year—roughly 30 percentage points above the state average. The district is considering targeted financial incentives like gift cards for families in high-poverty neighborhoods, expanded gas card programs for carpooling, and bicycle distribution programs similar to one that helped reduce absenteeism by over 14 percentage points at one high school. New Mayor Mary Sheffield has begun working with the district on transportation improvements, including potentially expanding city bus routes in areas with the highest absenteeism rates.

Who is affected

Students in Detroit Public Schools Community District, particularly those in kindergarten through second grade (with rates exceeding 68% in kindergarten)
Students from low-income homes (84% of the district's student population)
High school students at Cody and Osborn who will receive bicycles
Students at Henry Ford High School and East English Village Preparatory Academy participating in the yellow bus pilot
Over 2,900 students identified under the attendance contract policy, with 434 transferred to neighborhood schools
Families in neighborhoods with highest concentrations of poverty and chronic absenteeism
Parents who carpool or pick up children early
Parents receiving "parental responsibility" citations for egregious truancy cases

What action is being taken

The district is having conversations with Mayor Mary Sheffield about improving transportation
The district is giving bicycles to students at Cody and Osborn high schools this spring
The district is issuing "parental responsibility" citations for egregious truancy cases through coordination with its police department
Attendance agents are conducting home visits, collecting data, dropping off resources to families, and connecting them to wraparound services
The district is using attendance contracts for students who attend schools outside their boundary and are at risk of missing 45 days
The district is spending approximately $14 million annually on improving attendance, primarily for attendance agents

Why it matters

Chronic absenteeism significantly disrupts students' learning and academic progress, particularly in Detroit where the rate is nearly 30 percentage points higher than the state average. The issue disproportionately affects students from low-income communities who face systemic barriers including inadequate transportation, poor health, dangerous routes to school, and parents' inflexible work schedules. Despite improvements of nearly 16 percentage points since 2021-22, over 60% of DPSCD students still miss 10% or more of the school year (about 18 days), representing a substantial educational equity crisis. The district's substantial financial investment of $14 million annually and the new mayor's focus on youth and education issues demonstrate the urgency and importance of addressing root causes to ensure students receive consistent instruction.

What's next

The district will distribute bicycles to students at Cody and Osborn high schools this spring to collect data on whether this improves attendance
The district will recommend updating school policy to set standards on acceptable frequency of early pick-ups
The district may expand financial incentives by offering targeted gift cards to families of early-grade students in high-poverty neighborhoods
The district may increase gas card distribution for parent carpooling programs organized by attendance agents
The district will explore potentially reducing the at-risk threshold from 45 days for attendance contracts
Board members will discuss hiring more attendance agents in future budgets
The district will continue exploring adding more yellow or shuttle bus services once specific student data is collected

Read full article from source: bridgedetroit.com