“I want my son to strive and graduate”   "It's frustrating because I just don't want my son, just because he has autism, to be a number in the class. I want him to strive and graduate with a diploma." - Ms. Joann McCray, mom of 12 year-old son Ms. McCray worries her son might not achieve his educational goals. He is one of 4,000 students with disabilities in the District who should be getting bus transportation to and from school. But the bus often arrives hours late, completely derailing his days. During an interview with The Washington Informer, Ms. McCray shared that "her son suffers temper tantrums and mental breakdowns on the mornings he’s unable to ride the bus. One time, she had to run after him as he chased after a bus that left him." She's not alone. Ms. Robertson is the guardian for her 11-year-old nephew. She has had multiple family members on call so that when the bus is late – someone can take her nephew to school so that she isn’t forced to miss work. Yet nothing prepared her for the day her nephew was dropped off at his late mother’s house instead of their home. She explains to The Washington Post, “We had to split up to find him. And as he’s getting off the bus, he’s excited like he’s going to see his mom.” After working with the city for years to attempt to resolve our city’s school bus transportation issues, we knew we needed to leverage different legal tools. Tapping into New Legal Strategies Children’s Law Center – along with the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs, The Arc of the United States and McDermott Will & Emery – filed a class action lawsuit against the Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s Department of Transportation (OSSE). Ms. McCray and Ms. Robertson are two of five families, along with The Arc of the United States, who are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Each family hopes they can help resolve a systemic issue that has disrupted the lives of hundreds of families each year and make sure that every child who rides transportation gets the education they deserve. Children's Law Center has voiced concerns about DC's school transportation challenges since federal court monitoring on this very issue ended in 2012. We have represented hundreds of families on special education matters where DC failed to get a child to school, raised concerns in DC Council hearings and worked collaboratively with OSSE to identify solutions. Yet the number of children showing up late to school – or not at all – has only gotten worse. Children’s Law Center and our partners filed a complaint and an emergency motion in hopes that the court can step in and take swift action – before these children miss yet another year of learning. If your family has faced similar transportation issues, we'd like to hear from you! Take a moment to share your bus story here and pass the word to others who might want to share as well. Kathy Zeisel Director of Special Legal Projects Children’s Law Center P.S. This litigation is one of many new legal strategies we’re implementing to ensure we can solve problems for as many children as possible – with solutions that last. Learn more here. Donate Children's Law Center | 501 3rd Street NW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20001 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!