Special Ed Transportation FAQ

The involvement of parents of special education students in bus behavior goes a long way toward positive attitudes among the riders. Not only should parents reinforce the rules of conduct with their child, but they should assist in every way possible.

If your child requires specialized transportation, please fill out the new student enrollment paperwork with that information when transferring to the school.

Is curb service available? Those students whose handicapping condition(s) does not permit them to go to a designated bus stop may be picked up at the curb outside their residence as directed in the placement decision. (In some cases, this service is not possible due to the location of their home, traffic congestion, which blocks a curb, etc). Parental assistance may be needed in these cases.

Yes. This can be done on a consistent basis upon request (day-to-day changes, however, cannot be accommodated).

Generally, morning and afternoon times are reasonably constant for the duration of the student’s placement. They could vary a few minutes in the morning and afternoon due to traffic conditions. As other students are added to or dropped from the route, it may be necessary to adjust these times throughout the school year. If the time needs to be adjusted, the Transportation Office or Bus Driver will contact the parent. It is very important that the parent always has a current number on file with the school.

Contact your child’s case manager to notify them of any changes. The case manager will complete a new Specialized Transportation Plan and forward it to the District Special Services Department. The Special Services Department will then forward the changes to the Transportation Office. Address changes may take up to two school days to go into effect.

The Transportation Director or Bus Driver will contact the parent to confirm bus number, pick-up and drop-off time. It is very important that the parent always has a current number on file with the school.

Transportation services will be started as quickly as possible. The normal time allotted is two school days from the receipt of the Specialized Transportation Plan by the Transportation Office.

A Specialized Transportation Plan must be completed by the IEP team and forwarded to the District Special Services Department. The Special Education Office then forwards the request to the Transportation Office to place the student on a route.

The IEP team determines the need for special education transportation on an individual basis.

Transportation for special education students will be provided when a student's physical, emotional, or behavioral condition warrants it, or when it is necessary to transport a student to a school other than his/her home attendance center.

Bus service is provided by law as a related service, if it is specified in the child’s IEP. Those special education students whose handicapping condition permits, and for whom it is safe to do so, may be required to walk to school when attending their home school if their residence is within the specified walking distance. Similarly, they may be required to use the regular education bus.