What you need to know about the School Bus this August

Every August, bus drivers are busy practicing their routes to try to be on time until all the kinks and bus stop changes can be worked out in those first few weeks back to school. It is very common for the bus times to run late at pick up and drop off during this adjustment period each August. This may throw a wrench into your child's routine, resulting in behaviors.

If your child is one of the many who has a hard time waiting, bring activities with you to the bus stop to keep your child busy. This may include a bus safety social story (safety first!), a box of sensory tools and/or preferred items or books, etc. Determine a plan with your child ahead of time if these items will remain at home or go with the child to school so it does not create a meltdown when the bus arrives. Plan accordingly to what works best for your child.

Inquire with your school district the requirements of transportation services. Many special transportation services require that a parent load and unload their child on and off the bus, including buckling and unbuckling. If a parent is running late to the bus stop at the end of the day, the bus driver may have to wait a few minutes, throwing off the schedule for all the other students on the bus. This is especially a common occurrence at the beginning of the year when the bus is already behind schedule with route changes.

Consider driving your child for the first few weeks, until the bus kinks are worked out. Perhaps you are worried about your child riding the bus for an extended period of time on a hot August day. Or you are concerned about your child's behaviors that may result from the uncertainty of pick up/drop off times. You know your child best. If you feel driving your child at the start of the year may set a precedence that can result negatively, this may not be an option for you. Do what works best for you and your child.

Review the transportation plan accommodations in your child's IEP. Be sure all necessary transportation accommodations needed for your child are listed (ie: car seat, seat belt, buckle guard, preferred seating at the front of bus, hand walked from bus to school door, assistance for navigating bus stairs, bus aide, wheel chair accessible bus, air conditioned bus for medically fragile students, etc).

Be sure all of your child's bus accommodations are being fulfilled and communicated with the bus driver and substitute drivers throughout the year, via a friendly reminder at pick up.

If your child has significant bus needs, you may want to request in writing to have the bus driver and/or director of transportation be invited to IEP meetings for the transportation discussion.

If you have a request for an IEP blogging topic you would like to read about, feel free to comment in the comment section below!

Written by: Carly Quinlan, IEP Consultant & Advocate with IEP Consulting, LLC

IEPconsultingLLC@gmail.com