My son is 3 and the school refuses to come to the house and pick him up like last year. Is there guidelines?

Question

He was in this program before and they picked him up from home and dropped himi off everyday without any problems. He is 3 now and we live on a private street and they want him to walk to the end of the block (which is a busy street). I think he is too young to be out there alone. It is very hard for me to walk him there because I have a baby with special needs and cant bring her out there in the heat (right now its abouut 110 and higher at the time they are picking up children to go to school). They are also telling the same thing to my neighbors child who is mentally and physically handicapped. Isnt there rights for handicapped children or young children in California? This doesnt seem right to me. Anyone have any suggestions?

Answer 1

Just drive him to school to keep your other child safe.

In our area, they only bus kids that live more than a mile away from the school. No matter what your age in that mile, your family must get you to school. I am not aware of any exceptions.

Answer 2

Usually the transportation is door-to-door, especially for preschoolers and definitely for Special Ed kids like your neighbor's.  Call for an IEP for the neighbor's child & address transportation in it.  For you, you might need to see if you can get an IEP (one of those Family kinds) for your baby, so with Section 504 that'll make the bus driver come to your house, too.  Ask the Special Ed SELPA director about it.

Answer 3

It is likely the bus is not allowed to stop on the street or some other similar rule. It is really stupid and inconvenient but there are traffic laws and rules that likely make it impossible to stop at your street in front of your house. We came up against this a few years ago and tried to get it revoked with no luck. Maybe if there is another family on your street with similar situation you can take turns walking the kids to the end of the street.

Answer 4

Try going over the bus driver, explain your situation to their boss. Your neighbors children definitely have rights, it's called the Americans with Disabilities Act and the IDEA laws. Does she have a case manager or someone from special services at the school she can contact?? That would be her best bet.

Answer 5

Different places have different guidlines but where I'm from. A mentally or physically handicapped child is usually picked up at their house.  The school can't make you walk wayyyy down the street. The pre-k buses here stop right in front of the houses because they aren't school age children where everyone goes to the same school and busstop. If it's a private program that you as a parent pay for they should stop in front of each student's house.

Also more than likely, they stop at the other kids' houses, and are just being ignorant towards you and your neighbor. I personally would no longer spend money on a program that isnt willing to make a few changes in a bus route.

Answer 6

The transportation supervisors do the best they can with making routes and trying to get children in to school with the amount of time they have.  There may be different children on the route this year that live farther out, and to get everyone in at the needed time, the route has to be altered to get everyone in.

You have to think about time constrains for the bus drivers and children on the bus, also buses have to have so much turn around space. Buses are not allowed to back up either with children on the bus.  

I am almost positive that there is no rules or laws that say a child has to be picked up in front of their house.  

In our district there are many pick up points to help save time in order to get everyone to school at the needed time.

It's the schools job to try and get ALL the children in to school, which makes it difficult for individuals with special needs or circumstances.

Sorry

Answer 7

Call the school bard r superintendant. this is not right  preschoolers and special needs kids should be picked up at there door

Answer 8

Most school districts have regulations against going on a private street. They also cannot go into the parking lot of an apartment complex. I work with special Education and our bus (in Oklahoma) cannot go down private streets, they must be a public street and cannot go into the apartment complex. There is a certain place that the bus goes to at the apartment. Your child is to young to walk and be alone to wait on a bus. If at all possible see if maybe you can get your street status to a public street then the bus will be able to go down it.

Answer 9

although i think they should be more help full to you and your neighbor could you as neighbors come to some agreement between you

Answer 10

If this is a private preschool then they do not have to accommodate door-to-door service. There are reasons why preschool generally write up contracts. If you did not sign a contract stating that they would assist you in door-to-door transportation service then they can deny you. Not every preschool provides transportation for their children. However, if you have signed a contract and it does not state specifically that they may deny you in this situation then you have a breach of contract and you can definitely take action against it.

Answer 11

Call the director of the program and see what they can work out.

Answer 12

I don't know what your circumstances are, I would call the school district and see WHY they aren't providing the service. It seems odd if they were providing before and aren't now. Three is young for school, usually that's for disabled children. So, on to your neighbors situation, since she has a disabled child and presuming that you don't, it will be different than yours.

First, for your neighbor, there's the law

quote

Transportation as a related service is included in an eligible student's IEP if the IEP team determines that such a service is needed. Transportation includes:

travel to and from school and between schools;

travel in and around school buildings; and

specialized equipment (such as special or adapted buses, lifts, and ramps), if required to provide special transportation for a child with a disability [Section 300.24(b)(15)].

Public school districts must provide transportation to students with disabilities in two situations. These are:

if a district provides transportation to and from school for the general student population, then it must provide transportation for a student with a disability; and

if a school district does not provide transportation for the general student population, then the issue of transportation for students with disabilities must be decided on a case-by-case basis if the IEP team has determined that transportation is needed by the child and has included it on his or her IEP (Office of Special Education Programs, 1995).

If the IEP team determines that a student with a disability needs transportation to benefit from special education, it must be included in the student's IEP and provided as a related service at no cost to the student and his or her parents (Office of Special Education Programs, 1995).

Not all students with disabilities are eligible to receive transportation as a related service. As Attachment 1 of the Federal regulations for IDEA '97 points out:

It is assumed that most children with disabilities will receive the same transportation provided to nondisabled children, unless the IEP team determines otherwise. However, for some children with disabilities, integrated transportation may not be achieved unless needed accommodations are provided to address each child's unique needs. If the IEP team determines that a disabled child requires transportation as a related service in order to receive FAPE, or requires accommodations or modifications to participate in integrated transportation with nondisabled children, the child must receive the necessary transportation or accommodations at no cost to the parents. This is so, even if no transportation is provided to nondisabled children. (U.S. Department of Education, 1999a, p. 12551)

A student's need for transportation as a related service and the type of transportation to be provided must be discussed and decided by the IEP team. Whether transportation goals and objectives are required in the IEP depends on the purpose of the transportation. If transportation is being provided solely to and from school, in and around school, and between schools, no goals or objectives are needed. If instruction is provided to a student to increase his or her independence or improve his or her behavior during transportation, then goals and objectives must be included in the student's IEP (Office of Special Education Programs, 1995).

Secondly, your neighbor needs to look at the IEP for her child. If door-to-door transportation is necessary for getting him to school, and the IEP has already agreed to this (ie it's in his IEP) than they are breaking the law by not picking him up (private street or not). It sounds like the IEP team has already agreed that he needs transportation, now she needs to argue that it is not safe for him to travel down the street to wait for the bus. That's usually pretty obvious with a handicap. If the IEP team agrees, then the bus WILL pick him up. She might want to use the advocate that I suggested in your last Yahoo Answers.

For the okie, I'm an okie too, and I can assure you that what you've been told is wrong. I have advocated for two families for their children to be picked up in apartment complexes in the OKC school district. My friend lives in the country at the end of a LONG private road, and her daughter with CP is picked up at the door. So, a school CAN choose to pick up, if the parent is educated and firm enough with the school district. Usually the busses are run by private companies who are not educated in IDEA and don't have much concern for compliance until the director of special services is notified. Federal law is federal law, and if your state as a whole is not following, then I would take it to the state dept of ed. Good luck and call that advocate!

Answer 13

Is there a reason that the bus can't go down the road? I mean is the road to small, or is there no where to turn around, or is the bus likely to get stuck?  If there is no good reason why the bus can't go down the road, then perhaps you should call your school board members (and get other concerned parents to call) and ask why these young and disabled children are being required to stand out on a dangerous street rather than have the bus come closer to there home to pick them up?  If they don't give you any answers, ask to be put on a school board agenda, go to the meeting, take other parents, and kindly, but sternly raise h**l until you get some answers.

Answer 14

The ride is free--- just take your child down to the corner and put him on the bus...   The rules have changed and so must you...

Answer 15

Under Pulic Law 94-142, those children ages 3-21 who are handicapped or physically disabled shall be provided by any school that receives Federal funds with any/all special services necessary to provide an education to them.  

I suggest your neighbor contact an attorney.

Your district, depending upon policies of your local school board, may be able to refuse to pick up your child in front of your house. Any hardship you believe you have, and any special privileges you believe you deserve, will have to be taken up with your local school board.