companies her district currently utilizes, a condition is outlined that they provide training to their staff on serv- ing students with disabilities. “We also evaluate the level of ability of the student,” she said. Questions considered include if children are non-verbal or verbal, whether they can wait if the trans- portation is delayed for pickup at school or home, and if there are behavioral issues. For Kathy Calkins, director of transportation at Or-
egon’s North Clackamas School District, the use of alternative providers can be based on any several factors. “Deciding to use contractors is based on behavior, stu- dent needs and organization challenges,” she explained. “Organizational challenges usually happen if we have a student that lives several miles from the district bound- ary and when this happens, we utilize contractors to bring a student into our schools.” Internal resources also play an important role.
At North Clackamas, for example, district-owned vans have proven advantageous in serving students with severe disabilities, or those with behavioral issues who don’t do well on a bus loaded with other children.
“Having vans puts the student in a calmer situation
with fewer students,” Calkins said. The vehicles are also used in addressing routing challenges, where a dead-end street prevents a bus from turning around or a bus stop is too far for a student with a disability to walk, vans offer a workable solution. They are also used with McKinney-Vento students and others who must be transported outside of district boundaries. To limit risk, the vans are driven by staff who have met
state guidelines for drivers of passenger vans. “Drivers are in-house, trained, tested, and hold a first aid card,” Calkins noted. As for staffing, it doesn’t pay to dwell too much on the
lack of available drivers, Calkins noted. “Driver shortages are nothing new to the industry and can affect transpor- tation needs,” she noted. “I’ve been in this industry for 25 years and have worked at three different locations, and I have never seen a district fully staffed.”
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