District 28 CEC unanimously adopts resolution calling for unlimited, year‑round student OmniCards
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Summary
After a student presentation and discussion, the Community Education Council for District 28 voted unanimously Feb. 5 to adopt a resolution urging the DOE and MTA to provide unlimited, year‑round student OmniCards to all New York City public school students and to improve deactivation and replacement processes.
The Community Education Council for New York City Geographic District #28 unanimously passed a resolution Feb. 5 backing a student‑led campaign to expand access to the student OmniCard, the transit fare card issued to schoolchildren.
The resolution, which the council debated and edited during the meeting, calls on the New York City Department of Education and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to provide student OmniCards to all public school students “without limitation or exclusion based on distance from school, transportation eligibility, attendance status, program type, or housing circumstance,” and to make the cards active year‑round with unlimited rides.
Students from the Transportation Alternatives Youth Activist Committee laid out four asks during the public portion of the meeting. August Thwaite said their campaign seeks (1) OmniCards for all students without eligibility exclusions; (2) unlimited rides for student cards; (3) clearer communication about card deactivations; and (4) faster replacement of lost or defective cards. “We’ve met with the MTA and the DOE,” Thwaite said. “We’ve launched a petition and a survey, and we’re asking CECs to adopt supportive resolutions.” Charlie Hahn, his co‑presenter, added that card deactivations and slow replacement often force students to pay out of pocket or fare‑evade, which can lead to confrontations at turnstiles.
During Q&A, presenters estimated the proposed expansion could cost roughly $50,000,000; they described that figure as a small fraction of the overall DOE budget and urged the council to press local elected officials and agency partners for funding and regulatory updates. The students also asked the council to urge a modernization of the relevant DOE regulation (identified in their materials as regulation A801) to reflect OmniCard operations and digital options.
President Quentin Mezzetin moved to adopt the resolution and recording secretary Chantelle Chambers seconded. The council conducted a roll call; members listed in the roll call announced “yes” on the motion and the chair announced that the resolution had been passed at 8:14 p.m. The motion was recorded as approved.
Council members and district staff praised the students’ advocacy and asked them to continue collecting survey evidence about deactivations and replacement delays to support follow‑up with the DOE and MTA. August Thwaite told members he would post the petition and the campaign’s survey in the meeting chat and encouraged parents to share incidents of card deactivation to build the data set.
Next steps noted during the meeting included updating and circulating the adopted resolution to stakeholders and continuing coordination between student organizers, the council, and relevant DOE and MTA offices. The council did not commit to a citywide enforcement mechanism; rather, the resolution directs District 28 leadership to press the DOE and MTA for the policy and operational changes described in the students’ four asks.
Vote at a glance: the motion to adopt the resolution passed by roll‑call; the recording secretary announced the motion carried and the president declared the resolution adopted.
The council said it will circulate the final text and next steps to the community after the meeting.
