STN survey of special needs transporters indicate growing frustration at limited inclusion in student planning meetings By Ryan Gray
Unfortunately, it should not come as a surprise that some
transportation departments can be completely shut out of In- dividualized Education Program meetings for students with disabilities who need related transportation service. Collaboration between pupil transporters and special educa-
tion program administrators and personnel has been preached at industry conferences for many years, especially at the Na- tional Conference and Exhibition on Transporting Students with Disabilities and Preschoolers, which will be held early next month in Orlando, Fla. A recent STN survey actually indicates some of those training
messages have been heeded. Still, in too many school districts nationwide, the pleas are apparently falling on deaf ears. So says STN’s 2010 survey on special needs operations, which was con- ducted in December. Of the 1,168 transportation professionals contacted, 124 responded at least in part. What should give pause is data that shows nearly eight out
of 10 transportation departments are included in IEP meetings and/or discussions, but frustrations over transportation not being heard or transportation issues not being understood by
34 School Transportation News Magazine February 2010
special needs programs continue to resonate. “Last year, when I was asked to be involved [in IEP meetings],
I learned a lot from what the child’s needs were and what to expect and how to handle the situations,” said one survey re- spondent from a school district in Virginia. “I was amazed at what I had been missing with not being included in the meetings where transportation needs to be addressed.” Te STN reader gave an example of a child who was unable to
walk without the aid of a walker and a person on either side of him to act as additional supports. His teacher and the special ed- ucation director informed the transportation department that the boy would also need an escort across the street to and from his school bus stop. But, in Virginia, bus drivers are not allowed to leave their seat and the bus unattended. Tim Ammon of Management Partnership Services, Inc., as-
sisted STN in administering the survey, which was based on a previous special needs survey Ammon had conducted in early 2009 for the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Of- ficials. On the surface, he found it encouraging that 79 percent of all respondents participate in the process, a better result
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