Michigan Public Radio reported a story on a new study conducted by the University of Michigan.
The researchers found that replacing diesel buses improves student attendance. The change was a 0.06% increase – 6 more students in school each day per 10,000 students. For a school system like Atlanta Public Schools with 51,000 students, that would mean 30 more students in school each day. For Dekalb County schools with 92,000 students, that would mean 55 more students in school each day. For very large school districts like Gwinnett, which has 177,000 students, that would mean 108 more students in school each day.
This is because diesel school buses make pollution that affect students’ health, and they get sick and miss too much school. When students miss school, their education suffers, and if they miss enough school, they can fall behind. Replacing diesel school buses is a relatively simple way to improve attendance.
Not only are students on buses exposed to air pollution, but students who walk to school along roads that buses drive on are also affected.
The researchers compared attendance in school districts that got bus upgrades from EPA, to those that did not get bus upgrades, between 2012 and 2017.
Remember that researchers at Georgia State found that the pollution from diesel school buses hurts test scores and affects students’ aerobic capacity on the FitnessGram they do each year.
Right now EPA has announced more funding to replace diesel school buses with clean electric school buses that make no tailpipe pollution. We urge all school districts to apply for these funds – healthier kids, improved attendance, and improved test scores. It’s a real win-win-win!
Read the Michigan Public Radio Story here.
Read University of Michigan news about the study here.
Read the scientific study here.
EPA link for Clean School Bus Funds
05/01/2023
