CAUTION Removing the must-be-met requirement while leaving the
bus stop at the curb in front of the house will often be pro- posed as the next step towards independence. Transporters should avoid this temptation. Although allowing the student to navigate from the bus door to the house door without assis- tance is indeed a skill, it is not necessarily the next appropriate step. A more logical and safer sequence is:
• Curbside stop while being met • Transitional stop while being met • Transitional stop independently
Removing the requirement to meet, while continuing to
provide curbside service, frequently stalls the transition pro- cess. Tis type of service is definitely more convenient for most parents. Tey don’t have to leave the house to assure bus ser- vice, but the student can still stay in the house until the bus arrives. Te bus often ends up waiting for the student instead of the student waiting for the bus. In these circumstances many parents refuse to pursue true
independence or skills building for their children. On the other hand, if they have to meet their child at a transitional stop and can progress to where they don’t have to meet them, they fre- quently are supportive of the next step in independence.
GAINING MOMENTUM Many parents, once they have experienced success at a
transitional stop, are anxious to teach more transportation in- dependence. At that point, if the student’s skills are developed, the transitional stop can be moved further away. Eventually many students can receive service as their non-disabled peers do. For a percentage of students transportation will no longer be a related service. If transportation departments can offer a service continuum
to match various levels of student skills, we can become more integrated with student education. In the process, we can do more for our students and more for our budgets. ■
Pete Meslin is the director of transportation at Newport-Mesa Unified School District in Orange County, Calif., and was the chair of the 2010 STN EXPO in Reno, Nev. He may be contacted at
pmeslin@nmusd.org.
www.stnonline.com 43
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