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District

Special Education Transportation

Special Education Transportation

Our special education transportation services help students with disabilities reach their full potential. We prioritize safety, accessibility, and individualized support to ensure a successful educational journey.

Some students may need specialized support or transportation based on their disability in order to travel safely on the bus. Other students may access transportation services because they are receiving services outside of their neighborhood school.

All specialized transportation requests are part of the IEP team discussion and IEP document which includes the impact of the student's medical, physical, or behavioral needs as it relates to bus ridership. 

IMPORTANT
Once transportation is written into an IEP, the request must be reviewed and approved by Special Services Department. The request is then sent to the Transportation Department. Once the student is added to a route, the bus driver will contact the parent to discuss pick-up and drop-off times. This process can take up to a week. We appreciate your patience.

Pick-Up and Drop Off

Special education bus service is curb-to-curb whenever possible. We may pick up and drop off some students at home. We usually provide this service when a physical disability prevents a student from safely walking to a corner. We will determine the need for this service on a case-by-case basis. In some cases, we may ask that students meet the bus a short distance from their home if our buses cannot safely access your home.

All students should be ready five minutes before your scheduled pick-up time.

Parents should be at the stop five minutes before the scheduled drop-off time. If an adult is required to be present and is not there, we will take the student back to school. We follow your child's individualized education plan (IEP). 

Please call if no ride is needed

If your child is absent or ill and will not be riding the bus please contact bus dispatch as soon as possible at 360-473-0514.

After three no-call/no-rides in a row, we will not return to your child's stop until we receive a phone call reinstating the student's transportation needs.

Questions? Concerns?

We are here to help. 
For questions about special education transportation, please contact your child’s case manager.

Specialized Equipment

Wheelchairs

  • All wheelchairs must be in proper working order, have a seat belt, working brakes and properly inflated tires. We must also be able to safely secure it to the bus. We will not transport unoccupied wheelchairs.
  • We welcome your questions. You can visit our office to see how wheelchairs are secured on the bus, how we load students and help your child get comfortable with the bus. Please call us to set up a time at 360-662-8800.

Car Seats

  • If your child's individualized education plan (IEP) requires us to use a car seat, we will provide a car seat specially designed for school buses.

Specialized equipment such as car seats or wheelchair lifts are determined by the student’s IEP - not transportation staff. If you have questions about specialized equipment for the bus please contact your child's IEP case manager.