This School Bus Transportation Safety advocacy effort is to create high quality and safe transportation for children with special needs by improving training and enforcing accountability. This letter HERE was drafted by the Regional Family Support Planning Councils in response to the tragic incident in Somerset County on a school bus resulting in the death of a beautiful six-year-old little girl with special needs. We have shared this letter widely with government officials, elected officials, and a variety of organizations.
School Transportation Safety Survey Report (July 2024)
New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities and Regional Family Support Planning Councils launched an online survey to collect testimonies from families on their experience with transportation safety for their loved ones with disabilities.
Below are 6 common safety concern areas identified in this survey.
- Issues with transportation staff competence, resources, support, and conduct
- Vehicle safety or other equipment not used or broken
- Unsafe driving
- Lack of communication or coordination among families, schools, and transportation vendors
- Students left unattended or their whereabouts became unknown
Recommendations
- The use of cell phones by any transportation personnel must be for emergency use only. Any violation of this should be grounds for dismissal.
- All transportation staff must be trained for emergency response and prevention of such crises.
- Transportation aides should position themselves on the vehicle so they can best see all the students at all times.
- Transportation staff should position students on the transportation according to their needs.
- Transportation staff should be required to demonstrate competence in the use of wheelchair lifts and tie-downs. The use of these wheelchair lifts and tie-downs should be included in the child’s IEP.
- Transportation companies must remain available by phone until all transportation routes have concluded for the day to respond to emergency or urgent communication. Staff should be proficient in the language the family speaks or have language support tools to facilitate communication.
- Transportation companies must have a way to reach their drivers at all times.
- Provide reasonable compensation and salaries for drivers and aides who complete the training and demonstrate high performance to protect the safety and well-being of students with special needs.
To find more details, download the report here