Washington, D.C., must submit a transportation plan for students with disabilities this fall, a district court judge said Thursday.
Washington, D.C., must submit a transportation plan for students with disabilities this fall, a district court judge said Thursday.
Judge Paul L. Friedman ordered the city’s state superintendent’s office to work with groups representing the families to see whether an agreement can be reached.
During the hours-long hearing, attorney Margaret H. Warner of McDermott Will & Emery LLP said Friedman “ordered the parties to confer and see whether an agreement could be reached between plaintiff and the school district regarding future transportation arrangements for the school year.”
The hearing came months after DC was sued for failing to provide reliable transportation to schools: Buses carrying students with disabilities were late or didn’t arrive at all, sometimes lacked proper equipment and couldn’t be reliably tracked, the lawsuit said.
OSSE previously said it doesn’t comment on ongoing litigation, and city attorneys said in court that the district is working to resolve the issues, Warner said.
David Clark, whose eight-year-old daughter cannot speak or move, said the erratic bus services have disrupted his daily life and left him feeling anxious.
Buses are typically delayed three of the five school days a week, and parents often find out about delays “by chance,” Clark said.
“This really damages the facilities that are in place for this special-needs child,” Clark said. “She needs medication, she needs treatment because she can’t move, and all of that is ruined if the morning bus is delayed.”
Clark said her daughter’s attitude is affected when the bus isn’t on time.
“When you have kids like this, not having these systems in place can wreak havoc with their schedules and what they have to do,” Clark said.
Buses sometimes don’t have proper facilities for students with disabilities, or drivers don’t show up to work, Warner said.
Parents and a group called Arc of the United filed the lawsuit in March, alleging the city is denying students an equal educational opportunity.
“This is a systemic breakdown in the processes and procedures around transporting children with disabilities in the district,” Warner said. “And everyone has the same issues.”
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for July 23rd.
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