DRIVING THE INDUSTRY SINCE 1991
• Te impact of specific disabilities on the school bus ride. • Loading and unloading wheelchair equipment and safe securement practices.
• Appropriate use of required child safety restraint systems. • •
Managing challenging behaviors.
Ensuring a bus attendant is on the school bus when speci- fied on a student’s IEP or on the student’s daily ride to and from school.
•
Ensuring that the ratio of adult supervision to students is commensurate with school board policy.
• Planning in advance to identify restrooms for students who may require a restroom stop prior to arrival at the field trip location.
• Reviewing individual student needs and implementing required accommodations during the field trip.
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Bringing medication that is taken regularly during the school day.
• Planning in advance for students on specialized diets, in- cluding specific food allergies.
Unfortunately, students with disabilities have been needlessly subjected to discrimination because of the failure of school districts to plan ahead. If a school decides a student should be excluded from a field trip, the school district is obligated to make that determina-
tion on an individual basis, and has the burden of demonstrating that the student should not participate. Tis decision should be justifiable. Tere have been isolated inci- dences in which the Office of Civil Rights has accepted exclusion of students with disabilities on a scheduled field trip. Accepted exclusion of students with disabilities has been based on safety and health risk factors. For example, it is unacceptable to plan a field trip and exclude a student because they require a school bus with a lift to accommo- date a wheelchair. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires that school districts provide reasonable accommodations for students to participate in field trips. It is important to note, parents are not required to chaperone their own child in order for their child to participate in a field trip. Careful planning, driver selection, appropriate supervision and
required student accommodations are essential to avoid unforeseen circumstances. Unequivocally, field trips are an important part of the school experience, and should be enjoyed by all students.
Linda Bluth is a past-president of the National Association for Pupil Transportation and is the quality assurance and monitoring specialist for the Maryland Department of Education. She is also a tenured faculty member of the Transporting Students with Disabilities and Preschoolers National Conference, which is held Feb. 28-March 5 in Nashville, Tenn.
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