Comment: Proposed Special Education Transportation Services Policy 2013

In written comments to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), Children’s Law Center gives specific recommendations to improve the proposed special education transportation services policy. Read the full comments.

Children’s Law Center’s recommendations include:

• Slightly widening the eligibility criteria in one category so it covers transportation for students who are with their general education peers most of the day but have a specialized placement for a portion of the day
• Shortening the timeline for schools to submit documents after determining a child needs transportation, and shortening the timeline for implementing changes of address
• Removing the requirement for OSSE’s Department of Transportation to be involved in settlement agreement meetings
• Revising parts of the policy that deal with potential discontinuation of transportation for children who may have either health and safety concerns or behavior concerns
• Allowing parents to designate alternate pick-up and drop-off locations other than homes, so that students could be dropped off with a babysitter or daycare program, for example
• Expanding transportation to cover routine extracurricular activities
• Including the procedures parents should follow in making complaints and requesting investigations
• Including standards for training of drivers and aides
• Clarifying that transportation is available as a related service to children with 504 plans