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ransporting students with disabilities has always posed challenges. But what about when transportation service
is provided in a vehicle other than the yellow school bus, with its unparalleled safety record? Additional providers are playing an increasing role in today’s rapidly changing landscape. “In general, the emergence of alterna-
tive service providers has been a positive supplement to traditional services given the severe, debilitating driver shortage that has occurred around the country,” noted Tim Ammon, co-owner of Deci- sion Support Group, a Maryland-based consulting firm. “Alternative providers have stepped in to fill many of the gaps that traditional service providers, both districts and contractors, have struggled to address.” While private non-school-bus
School districts prefer to transport all students via the yellow school bus, but that is not always an option, especially when providing service to students with disabilities. North Clackamas School District located near Portland, Oregon is among transporters that are increasingly using non-school- bus contractors in addition to using its own fleet of vans.
companies can help leverage limited school resources, the potential of added risk also comes into play. This is nothing new to school districts that utilize their own white fleet vehicles such as vans and SUVs as well as taxi cabs and transit, but the latter two can especially provide their own challenges when the student passengers require extra care. Just how should school systems define risk in transportation, especially for an already at-risk student population? The question can be hard enough to
answer for districts that operate their own service or contract with private bus companies. But how can the risks be further minimized when using transportation network companies (TNCs) that are largely governed by en- tities and policies that are foreign to the traditional transportation industry?
Multiple Challenges Providing transportation for students
with disabilities poses not just one challenge, but rather a series of them, said Vickie L. Coe, a Michigan-based attorney who focuses on special edu-
cation and school disability law-related matters for legal firm Clark Hill. Often, this starts out with behavioral issues during a bus ride, which staff find dif- ficult to address. These challenges can only increase when non-school-bus staff are used. “Sometimes staff face a scenario
where they are afraid of the kid,” she noted. “Or they don’t feel they have the appropriate training, or they have had training but are not sure what they need to do.” If efforts at gaining control fall short,
or when repeated incidents contin- ue over time, other options may be considered. But that in turn raises questions. “What happens if kids still engage?”
asked Coe, who is scheduled to give a keynote address at the TSD Conference in November. “Can we stop transport- ing them, or can we provide alternative transportation?” If the latter path is taken, once proper
documentation is in place, she added that gaining assurances from alterna- tive providers can help diminish risk. “When contracting with other en-
tities, you need to make sure they’re following the same laws and require- ments,” Coe pointed out. “It’s important that as part of their contract, companies are training their staff so they’re doing things that are compliant.”
Turning to Alternative Modes to Address Current Challenges In many instances, the impetus for using outside transportation is not stu- dent behavior but other factors ranging from driver shortages to district bound- ary situations. That’s the case for Seattle Public Schools. Transportation Manag- er Hunter Maltais said that while school bus transportation is preferred, it’s not always possible. “There is a portion of our student
body that receives instruction or services outside of their home school attendance area, and yellow bus transportation isn’t a viable option,” he
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