On his epic journey home, Odysseus passed through treacherous obstacles to reach his goal. Our daily commutes are probably also epic-worthy, since our school’s 3,000-plus students must catch subways, trains and, in some cases, ferries to get to their first period on time. While most of these students have the help of a student MetroCard, granted by the Department of Education (DOE) to aid in our quest for education, not everyone can benefit from this gift. Those who live too close to the school receive the dreaded half-fare card or none at all, while those who live too far face a monthly charge to take the Long Island Railroad (LIRR).
Those who live less than half a mile away from school receive no card. According to the school’s transportation office, there are no exceptions for those who live close to the school.
The half-fare student MetroCard is issued to students who live within a range of one-and-a-half miles. This half-fare card forces students to pay one dollar in coins for the bus or walk.
There are, however, rare occasions when the half-fare card policy is waived. The Office of Pupil Transportation, a division of the DOE, determines these exceptions based on three categories: medical injuries, road problems and access to methods of transportation. Having a low income, however, is not a valid excuse for a full-fare card.
The DOE seems to think that the path to education only lies between the home and the school. But many Stuyvesant students take advantage of the city and travel to school sports practices, music lessons and after-school classes using the full-fare card, while others have to ride at their own expense. For those who must ride the subway to after-school activities every day, a block can be the difference between paying hundreds of dollars a year or absolutely nothing on rides.
Some students living in far eastern Queens have an even higher price to pay. In this area, it is difficult to access a subway or travel into Manhattan within a reasonable amount of time. While Queens residents receive student MetroCards, the fastest way is often the LIRR. Depending on where in Queens you are located, the LIRR takes from 15 to 40 minutes to reach Penn Station. For some students, commuting to school by a network of buses and trains with the free MetroCard would be far more inconvenient and could take over 20 minutes longer.
The quickest option is to buy a LIRR monthly pass, which comes with unlimited rides for one month at the cost of $154. Stuyvesant offers a student discount form, but even with the discount, the ticket costs $103. With ten months of school, the cost to students is $1,030 a year, and with a full four years at Stuyvesant, the cost is $4,120. This seems a steep price, especially considering that other students don’t have to pay to travel.
In a society where everyone has the right to a free public education, it is disappointing that some students have to spend more than others do. The DOE should not be able to dictate who receives a certain benefit just to save a few dollars for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Everyone should receive the same full-fare student MetroCard. Students should also be able to take the LIRR for free, instead of paying thousands of dollars. Stuyvesant is great because of the high quality of its students—who come from all over the city.
