Special Needs Service

We are pleased to provide quality educational services for your children. Our mission in Special Needs Transportation is to ensure your child arrives at school and returns home safely with care and thought given to his/her individual needs. Our success is a result of our commitment, skill, knowledge, understanding, and ability to communicate. All drivers and assistants participate in frequent in-service training to expand and improve their driving skills and upgrade their knowledge of helping children with special needs.

In our system, everyone works hard to communicate needs and changes. When changes occur, routes must be revised and time changes communicated to all parents. Please plan to transport your child to and from school the first three (3) days if the Admissions, Review, and Dismissal Committee (ARD) and/or placement changes occur after school begins in August. After the ARD, the driver will call you within three (3) days to:

Introduce him/herself and the assistant;

Tell you how and when you can reach them; and

Establish times and location for your child’s pick-up and drop-off.

As a parent, you can help support our mission by:

1. Attending your child’s ARD committee meetings and Annual Reviews.
2. Completing the Special Needs Transportation Information Sheet.
3. Ensuring a responsible person is home when your child is picked up in the morning and brought home in the afternoon. (Drivers assume responsibility at the door of the bus in the morning and will not release the child until they see the responsible person after school.)
4. Having your child ready to board the bus within three (3) minutes of scheduled time each morning.
5. Calling 766-2113 and making an appointment to speak with the driver rather than delay them in route to transport other students.
6. Teaching your child to follow the bus rules. (A copy will be provided to you.)
7. Notifying Durham School Services 766-2113 as early as possible when your child will not be attending school. Failure to ride 3 consecutive days will result in termination of service until the parent/guardian calls the Transportation Office and reinstates the service.
8. Sharing information with the driver and/or assistant regarding changes in schedule, medical status or major personal disruptions that would seriously affect your child’s behavior.
9. Communicating in writing any medical information, medication or student health status changes which would affect your child’s transportation.
10. Being open to information from the driver or assistant regarding their observations and concerns.
11. Making sure your child goes to the restroom before boarding the bus.
12. Maintaining consistent day care. (Frequent changes adversely affect bus schedules for all students assigned to the bus.)
13. Remembering that students in wheelchairs must have properly operating lock brakes, foot rests, arm rests, and a safety belt.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What happens if I’m not home to receive my child after school?

If no one is home to receive your child when the driver arrives, the driver will continue with the route, keeping your child on the bus until the other children have been transported. Then the driver will make an attempt to leave your child at your home one more time. If no one is home after the second attempt, the driver will return the child to his/her campus.

1. Why does it take up to three days to begin transportation services for my child?

When a new student is added to or dropped from a driver’s list, the time of pick-up and drop-off changes for all students. Parents need information as quickly as possible to adjust to changing pick-up and drop-off times. The driver also needs information about their children before transporting them. The three day lead between notice and start of transport allow for necessary information processing.

1. Whom do I call when I have questions or concerns?

If you have questions or concerns about transportation services for your child, please call Durham School Services at 940.766.2113.