ABC 7: 5 DCPS families file class action lawsuit over disability accessible buses
Carl Willis of ABC 7 speaks with Ms. Joann McCray, one of the families who filed a lawsuit against the District’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education:
In 2024, she tells 7News that J’Don is still facing issues, often getting to school hours late and missing both math and science classes.
He’s struggling in both classes.
“His grades are impacted by it and he’s missing the social and emotional side with his friends,” she said. “If school starts at 8 a.m. and you get there at 10 a.m., your day is already messed up.”
“We’re asking the district to change their policy, our system, and their practices so that we actually have an affective transportation system for all children with disabilities in the district,” said Kathy Zeisel, the Director of Special Legal Projects with Children’s Law Center.
The Center is representing five named plaintiffs, including McCray, who are speaking up for the District’s 4,000 special education students entitled to transportation.
She said consistency in routine is especially important for these students.
“When you have the schedules that are inconsistent, when you have children who are not making it to school they are not able to continue to make progress on the goals that they have set for themselves,” said Zeisel.
The District is Failing to Provide Transportation for Students with Disabilities
Parents and guardians of children with disabilities living in the District of Columbia, along with The Arc of the United States, filed a class action lawsuit on March 7, 2024 against DC’s Office of the State Superintendent for Education for failing to provide safe, reliable and effective transportation to and from schools for children with disabilities, thereby denying students equal access to their education and unnecessarily segregating them from their peers.