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


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60