Across the region, backpacks are bouncing up and down sidewalks again. Students are sharing summer stories with friends at the school door. Yet some families of students with disabilities are holding their breath wondering: Will my child’s bus show up on time?

Since March, we’ve worked closely with parents and legal partners across DC to move forward on our class action lawsuit against the District of Columbia’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE).

Dozens of families have shared their stories:

“[My son] has missed his medication. He has been on the bus for so long he has peed his pants and is upset. I’ve heard of other people whose kids have been taken to a [wrong] location.” – Ms. Elizabeth Daggett, mother of 13-year old boy

“Because he consistently arrived home late, he would miss critical applied behavior analysis and occupational therapist services that were ordered by his doctor.” – Ms. Guerrero, mother of 14 year-old boy

And we’re already hearing of issues during this first week of school.

Read how these failures are affecting DC kids

4,000 students with disabilities in the District should be receiving safe and reliable transportation. Yet bus disruptions create a domino effect in the child’s day – impacting their education and interrupting the entire classroom.

The lawsuit has already made a difference: the day before our first hearing, the District announced an additional $10 million to help provide more private transportation options for families. And at the hearing, OSSE agreed to share a plan that would address their transportation issues such as buying a new system that they expect will lead to improved routing and adding GPS tracking to buses.

While these proposals are a step in the right direction, we remain cautious. After our second court hearing, Ms. Daggett spoke about her lingering concerns: “My experience tells me it will not work the way it’s supposed to, which is sad. I don’t want to believe it won’t be okay, but I need to see it happen for us.”

Next Wednesday we will be back in the courthouse – along with the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs, The Arc of the United States and McDermott Will & Emery – to hear whether the first week of school showed signs of improvement. Reply to this email if you’d like to join us at the hearing, and keep an eye out for updates on our case here.

Kathy Zeisel

Director of Special Legal Projects

Children’s Law Center

P.S. Is your child’s bus arriving late? Let us know! Take a moment to share your bus story here and pass the word to others who might want to add their experiences as well.

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