• Does the student require transportation to benefit from special education?
  • If so, what kind of transportation is required to meet the student’s assessed needs? 
  • Transportation options the team may consider:
• • School Bus with General Education Peers
  • Specialized School Bus
  • Taxi or a Ride Service
  • School Van or Car
  • Parent provides transportation w/ reimbursement
• Dependent on parent ability and willingness to provide

The student’s specific needs must be the primary consideration when an IEP team determines any transportation needs.

• Can the student utilize the same transportation as siblings and age-appropriate peers?
• Does the student have an orthopedic impairment or physical disability that significantly impacts mobility – uses a wheelchair, walker, etc.?
  • Medical diagnosis and health needs when considering long bus rides could affect a particular pupil’s health (duration, temperature control, need for services, health emergencies); general ability and/or strength to ambulate/wheel; approximate distance from the school or the distance needed to walk or wheel oneself to the school; consideration of student needs in inclement or excessivly hot weather.
  • Physical accessibility of curbs, sidewalks, streets, and public transportation systems.
  • Needed modification of school bus equipment
  • Does the student require a modification, and/or is adaptive equipment needed? 

• Does the student have a substantial risk to their safety or well-being due to significant delays in social-emotional/ behavioral or cognitive development such that they cannot get to school in the same manner as their non-disabled peers?
  • Consideration of a student’s capacity to arrive at school on time, avoid getting lost, avoid dangerous traffic situations, and avoid other potentially dangerous or exploitative situations on the way to and from school.
  • Behavioral Intervention Plans [Title 5, CCR 3001(g)] specified by the student’s IEP and consideration of how to implement such plans while a student is being transported.

• Does the student have a sensory impairment (blind, deaf) that profoundly impacts their ability to understand, respond to, and/or communicate regarding concerns that may arise?
• Is the placement the IEP team has determined appropriate for this student different from the school in which the student resides?
• Have Extended School Year services, including transportation, pursuant to EDC Section 56345(b)(3), been considered, and is this service necessary to provide FAPE as specified in a student’s IEP?
• Will personnel be needed to assist the student, as applicable, and to what extent?
• What would the appropriate service level, such as picking up at a bus stop or door-to-door transportation, etc meet the student’s needs?
• What student communication needs should be considered for the effective communication of evacuation procedures and other safety issues such that accommodations or modifications applied to specialized transportation?

• If the IEP team determines that transportation is no longer necessary, a Prior Written Notice (PWN) should be sent to the parent stating that the service is removed and the rationale.
• If parents disagree with the LEA/ District, an IEP meeting should be scheduled immediately to address the parents’ concerns. 

• Transportation should continue to be provided to the student until the parent has signed the IEP without transportation services documented. At this point, a PWN should be sent to the parent stating the service is removed and the rationale behind the decision.
• The Transportation Guiding Questions Form can be accessed here.