and not the needs of her child, based upon their disability. Unknown to transportation, the IEP team approved the request. It was not feasible to implement but still approved and written into the child’s IEP. The parent emphatically stated her request was “required under the IDEA.” The IEP team was intimidated and believed her. This IEP decision resulted in a hearing officers’ re-
quirement for the school district to add a new route to implement the approved IEP service. Can you imagine the unintentional effect of this IEP team’s unilateral decision? Make sure that the IEP team is fully knowledgeable about the IDEA transportation related service requirements, and do not make a decision based upon false information. Another example of a costly mistake is when a parent at an IEP meeting claims, citing IDEA, their child is required to be transported to after-school care 17 miles away from their home address. The IEP team unwisely believes the parent and approves their request. The lesson to be learned is don’t believe everything that a person says without knowing how the IDEA address- es a specific issue. Be knowledgeable about what state law says on a specific topic and how the school district’s policies and procedures address the issue. In the previous example, it is likely that if the school district transports children without disabilities to requested after-school
care or daycare, the school district will also be required to do so for children with disabilities as a matter of equity. These are just two examples of challenges whereby poor decision-making resulted in an avoidable costly error. It is essential to know federal and state laws pertain- ing to transportation service eligibility requirements for children with disabilities. It is wise to rethink in advance how to best provide these transportation services for children with disabilities. Utilizing school transportation data can improve decision-making. Accessing all fund- ing sources helps to offset costly transportation services. One example is billing Medicaid when it is an allowable transportation expense. Communication and coordination between multiple school district departments is key to problem-solving. It is key to be knowledgeable and current about best prac- tices and school transportation literature concerning safe transportation of children with disabilities. ●
Linda F. Bluth, Ed.D. is a national compliance and regulatory expert on IDEA transportation law and provisions. She is a tenured faculty member of the TSD Conference, a regular STN contributor, and a Hall of Fame member of the National Association for Pupil Transportation.
www.stnonline.com 27
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