Are your bus drivers doing everything they can to look after any special needs students riding the school bus?
Are your bus drivers doing everything they can to look after any special needs students riding the school bus?
Transporting special needs students to and from school is a challenge for many bus drivers, even when school bus routes are organized and a school district’s fleet management is effective.
While the specifics vary from state to state, school districts are universally required to provide transportation to and from school for every student. Most students are simply transported on standard school buses, but there are exceptions - particularly where special needs students are concerned.
Are your bus drivers doing everything they can to look after any special needs students riding the school bus?
Of course, every student on a school bus deserves care and respect, but special needs students need a bit more care. It's vitally important that your drivers understand how to work with special needs students, and how to ensure their needs are taken care of. This helps the students directly, as well as decreasing the chances the student will cause problems on the bus ride.
School bus accessibility is a major concern among school districts who find themselves with one or more mobility-impaired students. Legally, in nearly all cases, they are required to provide necessary accommodations for riding the bus. But, those accommodations can be extremely expensive to implement, particularly if a wheelchair lift needs to be installed.
Worse, once that student moves or graduates, it could be years before the lift is ever used again, making it a massive sunk cost with no foreseeable returns.
Special needs students across North America rely on school bus transportation to get them safely to and from school. Though traffic laws and regulations surrounding the safe transport of students of all abilities differ from state to state and district to district, there are certain skills that should be taught to any bus driver who works with students who require special services.
Transporting special needs students to and from school is a challenge for many bus drivers, even when school bus routes are organized and a school district’s fleet management is effective.
Whenever you take students anywhere on a bus, you're handling some of the most precious cargo that can ever be on our roads. Obviously, the safety of students should always be top priority. However, things get more complex when dealing with special needs students. Your buses and bus systems have to be ready for the challenges they may present, while still ensuring every student gets there and back safely.
