The first Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs Conference and Trade Show (TSD) was held in 1992. It was originally called the Transporting Students with Disabilities and Preschoolers National Conference. School Transportation News acquired the TSD Conference in 2012 and has faithfully continued it as the ultimate platform for addressing school transportation topics of importance pertaining to children with disabilities and special needs. Alternative school transportation is one such topic that has received widespread national attention recently.

Both the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) and the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) have recently written comprehensive industry papers on the topic.

The theme in both these publications is that school-age students should be transported in the yellow school bus to provide the highest level of school transportation safety. While this may not always be achievable or realistic, depending on child-specific circumstances, these associations acknowledge alternative transportation is a feasible option when the yellow bus is not the appropriate option.

The annual TSD Conference has traditionally provided a setting for promoting a national dialogue on topics to move forward the agenda of safe school transportation for children with disabilities and special needs. From its inception in 1992, when I was a keynote presenter, I have been involved in advocating for safe transportation for children with disabilities and special needs. Along with several of my peers, promoting meaningful decision-making for this vulnerable population includes not compromising safety for cost-savings, while simultaneously endorsing efficiency as a key component of the decision-making process.

The 2022 TSD conference once again provided me a chance to compellingly advocate for the provision of safe transportation of children with disabilities and special needs in all modes of school transportation. My specific agenda at this meeting was to gain national attention for alternative transportation and its role in the provision of safe transportation, when the “Yellow School Bus,” was eliminated as the most feasible mode of safe school transportation. My ultimate goal was that the 17th National Congress on Student Transportation (NCST) this past May would address alternative transportation and acknowledge its role in school transportation as a necessity for specific populations, including students with disabilities and special needs.

It was rewarding when, for the first time since the inception of this industry standard-setting exercise in 1939, the 17th NCST provided a new section on alternative transportation under writing committee chairperson Tyler Bryan, education associate for school transportation at the Delaware Department of Education.

The committee’s work focused on four areas: Driver credentials, driver training, vehicle design/equipment requirements and special education policy considerations. The alternative transportation committee approval was a milestone as the first non-yellow school bus section addressed at the NCST and was a definitive victory for the well-being of children with disabilities and special needs.

As an alternative transportation committee member, I was committed to reinforcing that students with disabilities and special needs would only be recommended to receive alternative transportation services student’s individual needs. When assigning alternative transportation, it is essential that school district and contract providers, school district personnel, drivers, parents and students as appropriate, are aware and knowledgeable of special education policy requirements to implement safe transportation.

It recommends IEP teams, including the parent and transportation personnel, should be involved in discussing the mode of transportation for each individual child. The parent of the child with a disability should be made aware of the vehicle selection to provide their child’s related service transportation if a vehicle other than a school bus is used. When a school vehicle selection is changed during the course of a school year, parents should be informed about the change. This change should be consistent with the current IEP approval for transportation services.

Additionally, it recommends annual IEP meetings should evaluate whether alternative transportation is required or whether the student can now be serviced by the school bus. The decision to utilize alternative transportation should never be a unilateral decision. It should only be recommended and approved through the IEP meeting process with oral
and written justification for its necessity. Key considerations for endorsing alternative transportation should include the age of the child, the impact of a child’s disability on providing safe transportation services in the selected alternative transportation vehicle, the necessity for a reduction of length of ride time, and the ability to provide safe access to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) within and outside of the school district.

It is essential to consider what alternative transportation vehicle works best to ensure safe travel, including the need for an attendant on the alternative transportation vehicle. This list is not exhaustive, but other considerations include child safety restraint systems, wheelchair transport and appropriate behavioral interventions.

From my perspective as an expert witness, including on alternative transportation cases involving children with disabilities, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of driver training and using substitute drivers that have the knowledge required to provide a safe ride under all circumstances. This applies to all transportation personnel as well. It is crucial to invite alternative transportation providers to the IEP meeting to ensure the opportunity to share vital child specific information, as permissible under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

As the framework for alternative student transportation continues to evolve, it is important to follow the newly formed Alternative Student Transportation Associations (ASTA) actions. On its website, ASTA states: “We are working to advance regulations that put student safety and access to transportation first. By collaborating with policymakers, school districts and industry leaders, we hope to help educate policies that will enhance safety, accessibility and operational efficiency while putting students first.”

The uniformity of providing safe student transportation in alternative transportation vehicles requires ongoing commitment to monitoring this emerging trend. Transparency and trust are crucial as the continuum of school transportation services for specific populations of students, requiring this option increases. Safety and compliance with federal and state regulations should always remain a priority during the IEP decision-making process for each individual child assigned to ride alternative transportation.