BOOK REVIEW ‘Defensible Decisions about Transporting
Students with Special Needs’ Authors: Peggy A. Burns, Esq., and Lisa J. Hudson Published by Education Compliance Group |
www.educationcompliancegroup.com | $75 plus shipping & handling
In this fast-paced, challenging arena, it
is difficult to keep all players up to date on best practices in the many facets of providing safe transportation. Further, there is often controversy when designing each student’s transportation plan while taking into account their unique needs. When this results in a legal dispute, team members often don’t have good resources to consult to gauge the validity of their decisions and the effectiveness of their compliance with best practice. “Defensible Decisions about Transport-
ing Students with Special Needs: Lessons Learned from Legal Disputes” with its thoughtful review of cases on the pressing issues can help district personnel identify strategies that have helped others in deal- ing with issues similar to theirs. Equally important is the focus on what issues prevented a successful outcome to assist readers in avoiding pitfalls. Its authors, nationally known for their expertise in the area of transportation of students with special needs, have provided an in- formative resource that can be used to gain legal perspective, stimulate creative problem solving, evaluate policies and procedures, and enhance relevant and re- sponsive training programs. Te premise is to provide cases that il-
lustrate the legal trends regarding various important topics related to the transpor- tation of students with special needs. Although the authors relay that they didn’t intend to write a reference book, it is so well organized that it surely serves this pur- pose. Alternately, helpful sections in each chapter assist the reader to quickly identify critical points and to digest essential con- cepts that you will find yourself reading large portions of the book in one sitting. Each of the 16 chapters cover a topic of
great concern, and the Table of Contents encompasses all the issues at the core of typical transportation controversies. Chapters covering length of ride and
shortened school day will invariably make this book invaluable to many in dealing with these emotionally charged and difficult to manage issues. Te authors offer clear criteria for assessing the educational impact as well as creative solutions to problems uncovered. Tey note what the courts are looking for and what agencies and legislation are involved. Tese chapters arm a district with easy-to- understand, self-evaluation tools that should assist them not only in identifying rides that need to be modified but also help them to as- sess their legal position in disputes regarding these issues of contention. Many other topics frequently at the
root of transportation disputes are in- cluded along with useful commentary about benchmarks gleaned from the cases offered. Each chapter also empha- sizes critical issues to address in training. I appreciated that the authors not only covered the more universal issues such as discipline and behavior, student informa- tion, harassment and assault, pick-up and drop-off, assistive technology and related methodology, reimbursement, etc., but also took on less commonly seen problem areas. Administration of seizure medica- tions, use of an EpiPen and extracurricular, after-school and field trip transportation are only a few of the many less common but even more difficult topics to research. Although a book on these issues would
readily be seen as a resource for those in the transportation department, this might not be as apparent to directors of special education or superintendents. However, its ability to provide a concise summary of the legal trends and “hot”
26 School Transportation News Magazine April 2011
topics makes it just that. It not only would save these administrators valu- able research time but also the expense of involving their legal advisor in the initial stages of a dispute. Often the specialized nature of trans-
portation issues can challenge a typical school attorney. Being able to review cases interpreted by Peggy Burns, the national- ly-recognized school transportation legal expert, can help the administrator for- mulate the best plan of action as well as better evaluate their legal stance. As seen by the number of important
topics covered in this book that are partic- ular to transportation, the administrator managing the district response needs a thorough understanding of the bus envi- ronment and the challenges it provides. Tese sections map out the prime con- cepts and leave the reader better able to either explain their position or reevalu- ate and change direction. Often, when reading these sections, you find yourself thinking that you are going to use their explanation in trying to make your point with a misinformed administrator. ■
— Sue Shutrump, Supervisor of Oc-
cupational & Physical Terapy Services, Trumbull County (Ohio) Educational Service Center
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