between 2022 and 2023 reflects a 17 percent increase in the number of families with children experiencing sheltered homelessness (24,966 more people).” School districts are obliged to provide transportation
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for these students during the school year regardless of where or how far away they might be staying. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act enacted in 1987 is federal law in the U.S. designed to provide protections and support for homeless individuals, particularly children and youth. It aims to address the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness by ensuring access to essential services, such as educa- tion, shelter and transportation. This obligation causes many student transportation
leaders to utilize vehicles and services that are more suit- ed to the demand than traditional yellow school buses. “We understand that school districts can sometimes turn to vans to meet the needs of students who require a more individualized transportation option, such as those experiencing homelessness or with an IEP, or when a school bus may not be available,” said Emily Uhland, vice president of customer success for trans- portation network company HopSkipDrive. “Many districts have found that when they implement a multi-modal transportation strategy, an approach that incorporates sedans alongside school buses or vans, they find they can meet students’ needs even more easily and cost-effectively.” Uhland says that HopSkipDrive has supported over 10,000 school sites and understands the challenges transportation officials face. “The costs of purchas- ing, maintaining and insuring vans on top of fuel and registration fees can add up quickly, and become even more cost-intensive when transporting just one or two students, which can often happen when meeting individual needs.” The use of vans has been working in many com-
contact@PawarTransportation.com
www.PawarTransportation.com 925-938-6565
munities, and the demand for contractors that provide such services is growing. In Massachusetts, Brockton Public Schools supplements its school bus route by contracting with local transportation companies that specialize in transporting students who have special needs or are experiencing homelessness, a district spokesperson said. The demand has been significant enough that one of the transport companies has grown its vehicle fleet from one to 22 over the past 15 years.
Visit
stnonline.com/go/L2 to read “Why Rural Matters 2023” and
stnonline.com/go/L3 for more on the U.S. Housing and Urban Development report on homelessness.
30 School Transportation News • JANUARY 2025
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