Philadelphia students given bikes to celebrate perfect attendance record
PHILADELPHIA (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Dozens of Philadelphia students left school Friday with a well-earned prize as the school district is keeping a focus on increasing attendance.
At six-years-old, Leanna is ready to take on the world, but first, she's got to get through first grade, says her grandfather, Alford.
"It's very important for a child to go to school. I believe in that," Alford expressed.
That is a shared idea among one group of families.
The students go to Thomas G. Morton, and for the first half of the school year, they did not miss a single day, and their prize were bikes.
"When I was like a little kid, my mom was like...'No matter the weather...you're going to school.' It's like, with [my niece]...we're trying to put the same thing onto her. School is very important," said Mariama Kamadate, an aunt to one of the students.
A spokesperson for the Philadelphia School District says over the past two years, the number of students with regular attendance has increased by more than 3,500. That means going to school 90% of the days or more.
Prioritizing education early is key, according to Philadelphia Council President Kenyatta Johnson as he distributed the bikes Friday.
"In this particular case, it wasn't even about the truancy. It was just about finding a way to encourage our young people being on time, being punctual, and having perfect attendance," Councilman Johnson shared.
Young people on their way with a little help from their biggest supporters by their side.
"Of course, I'll have to teach her because based on the way she was trying to ride the bike, she wasn't able to," Kamadate admitted.
The bikes were donated by the Ocean State Job Lot Charitable Foundation. Johnson says the initiative will be brought next to a middle school in the city.
