<body><div>SIGNAL MOUNTAIN, Tenn. — Students with special needs here at Signal Mountain Middle and High school are headed to a Special Olympics bowling tournament next week.But one mother says those students in wheelchairs might have stay back because of the cost to get them there.<img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=468NQm_0vjXSxsp00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=468NQm_0vjXSxsp00" width="648" height="365" ><blockquote>We found out this week that the teachers had to pay for the transportation, for the bus," says Jennifer Isaacson. "Because there's not special needs funding for transportation back and forth from the Special Olympics during the school days.</blockquote>According to an email sent to the families of participating students, a teacher is paying the 300 dollars out of pocket to cover the bus trip.But Isaacson, whose daughter Emma has Down Syndrome, says that only covers students who don’t need buses that have special accommodations for their wheelchairs.<img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3ilRqK_0vjXSxsp00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3ilRqK_0vjXSxsp00" width="648" height="365" ><blockquote>"Special Needs busses are really, really expensive, so the teachers were able to buy a regular bus, but for the kids that are in wheelchairs that need a special needs bus, they aren't able to go next week."</blockquote>Jennifer says Emma's best friend is in a wheelchair.We spoke to his mother who told us this whole situation is frustrating. She said their son will stay behind because both parents work and they aren't able to drive him themselves.<blockquote>"She loves him," Issacson says. "And she's gonna be really sad. I mean it's not, you know, the full experience if everybody's not able to go."</blockquote>We reached out to Hamilton County schools about the policy regarding transportation for students with disabilities for field trips. They sent us their general field trip policy which does not mention transporting students who need accommodations.Click here to view the PDF file.<blockquote>"To not be able to go if your parent can't take you during a school day while other kids and sports have access to transportation consistently, it's challenging, especially when parents feel like we're fighting for basic rights all the time."</blockquote>According to an FAQ from the U.S. Department of Education, a student's Individualized Education Plan can include "transportation to enable a child with disabilities to participate in nonacademic and extracurricular activities... to afford the child an equal opportunity for participation."But it doesn't mention who will pick up the bill.A school district spokesperson sent us a statement saying...<blockquote>"Schools request transportation for field trips; if a student requires special transportation, the school would need to be mindful of this when requesting the number and type of buses for a specific trip. No student is to be left behind for accessibility needs."</blockquote>As we did research for this story, we spoke to an independent contractor who drives buses for Hamilton County.He offered to take all the students on Signal Mountain special Olympics team who need a wheelchair accessible bus to the tournament for free.When we told JenIsaacson the news, she said...<blockquote>That's incredible. I think once the community realizes what's happening, I think we can get the resources from Hamilton County and from community volunteers. We just need help getting there.</blockquote>And while this specific situation seems to be resolved, Isaacson says a policy change needs to happen to transport these athletes regardless of their needs.<blockquote>We've already started hearing from parents across the county and I think sometimes parents are able to drive them back and forth from those events at not as much of a sacrifice. But there are a lot of families that need help and need support across the county, and they're just not getting it.</blockquote></div></body>

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Signal Mountain students with disabilities may miss Special Olympics due to bus issue

SIGNAL MOUNTAIN, Tenn. — Students with special needs here at Signal Mountain Middle and High school are headed to a Special Olympics bowling tournament next week. But one mother says those students in wheelchairs might have stay back because of the cost to get them there. We found out...