Specialized Student TRANSPORTATION Throughout Cuyahoga

Many preschool and school-aged children with special health care needs are transported in school buses.  These children have the same need for safe transportation as all children.   According to the US Department of Education, approximately 14% of all students have some disability. 

School systems are responsible for ensuring that children with special needs are safely transported on all forms of federally approved transportation provided by the school system. A plan to provide the most current and proper support to children with special transportation needs should be developed by the Individualized Education Program team, including the parent, school transportation director, and school nurse, in conjunction with physician orders and recommendations.  

Established in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the right for children with qualifying disabilities from birth to 21 years of age to a “free and appropriate public education.” As needed, these students are entitled to school-provided transportation as a “related service” to access school and health services.  

Special transportation considerations are required for children with many different conditions. Children with respiratory problems, tracheostomies, thermoregulatory difficulty, seizures, and feeding tubes all require special thought and planning for transportation. Additionally, children with neuromuscular problems in which sitting posture is affected and children with developmental, behavioral, and cognitive problems require special resources to ensure safety during transportation. 

Wheelchairs Used in Vehicle Transport

Using a child safety restraint systems (CSRS) on a bench seat provides the best protection in a crash and should be selected for every child who can be transferred out of a wheelchair for travel.  However, for children who must remain in a wheelchair for travel, using a system that meets the voluntary industry standards of the American National Standards Institute and Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America greatly enhances safety.  A certified transit-ready wheelchair system is one that meets these voluntary design and performance requirements for use as a seat by its occupant when traveling in a motor vehicle.

The safe transportation of students seated in CSRSs or wheelchairs on school buses requires planning, selection, and procedures developed by a team of transportation professionals, including occupational and physical therapists and a child passenger safety technician with the specialized training to apply the safety principles of these devices.  

Because there is no certification or standard for training of student drivers and attendants, Beachwood Transportation utilizes an internal Driver-in-Training program requiring new drivers to work and serve directly under senior drivers and Directors until proper competence, understanding, and job-related skill have been demonstrated.