DC plans to spend millions to improve school transportation for students with disabilities

Washington, D.C., plans to allocate $10 million toward private transportation to ensure timely school arrivals for students with disabilities this fall.

This initiative came in response to a lawsuit against the Office of the State Superintendent of Education , which claimed buses for students with disabilities were unreliable.

The lawsuit accused OSSE of denying students with disabilities equal access to education, claiming their buses were often late or never showed up, were difficult to track, and lacked appropriate equipment.

In the court filing, OSSE said it is also planning to acquire a new system to improve routing and implement GPS tracking for buses.

“We’re really happy that new resources have been directed toward transportation because we clearly believe that that’s necessary,” said Kathy Zeisel, director of special legal projects at Children’s Law Center.

“We’re hopeful that the District will make efforts to continue to improve transportation and to do what they’re saying in this plan,” she said.

The plan came two weeks after a judge’s ruling mandated the city to disclose its transportation plan for the fall.

The city also announced plans to open a new terminal that will allow buses to depart from different parts of Washington, as well as efforts to recruit more bus drivers and collaborate with schools on routing and logistics.

Zeisel also said they will closely monitor whether these measures adequately address transportation concerns, expressing doubts about their effectiveness.

The city will present an update on the impact of these initiatives during the first week of school at a hearing scheduled for September.

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“What this case is about is getting kids to school and getting them to be in their seats and learning on time every day,” Zeisel said.

Parents and members of the Arc of the United States, who filed the lawsuit in March, have argued those logistical challenges have caused unnecessary stress and anxiety for their children, affecting their demeanor.