Special Transportation Guidance for CBE/CBVI We were given new guidance from the State Department regarding students who are transported during the school day for instruction at community sites. Per this new guidance, the IEP must specify special transportation and it must be listed on the IEP as an additional service and separately from the sped transportation service for the bus to/from school. Here are some examples for you: All should be listed on the Services page of IEP under section IX Related Service (Beginning/ending dates will correspond to IEP dates): Elementary School: Middle School: Service: Special Transportation Service: Special Transportation Frequency: up to 6 x per year Frequency: up to 3 x per month Provider: Sped Bus Driver/Aide Provider: Sped Bus Driver/Aide Area: Community Based Education Area: Community Based Education High School: Service Special Transportation Frequency: up to 6 x per month Provider: Sped Bus Driver/Aide Area: Community Based Education Rationale (Section X): Student X requires instruction in a variety of settings in the community in order to facilitate transfer of learning. Therefore, special transportation services will be provided to/from the community sites during the school day. Below is an example of a high school student who gets both Special Transportation to/from school and also to job sites. Special Transportation Guidance for CBE/CBVI 1. Special Transportation is the Service of transporting a student, not a particular
kind of bus. The thing that makes this particular case "special" transportation is
not the bus or the equipment per se, it is the fact that they are being transported
somewhere that all students do not get to go during the school day.
It is true that some students require specially equipped buses for their
transportation needs. Other students require a smaller size bus with fewer riders
and a bus aide to monitor behavior/safety to meet their transportation needs.
Other students merely need transportation to a school outside of their zoned
school or to a site that is in the community. All these cases make it "special"
transportation.
2. EVERY sped student who is transported to a community site during the school
day for CBE or CBVI instruction will need to have this listed on the IEP as a
service. (whether they ride a sped bus to/from school, or are a car rider or ride a
regular bus to/from school).
3. It does not matter whether the bus who takes them on the CBE/CBVI trip is a
short bus or a regular bus, it is still a "special ed" Transportation service, paid out
of sped funding category and the driver is paid with a sped funding category so
for the purpose of this service, the driver is a "sped" driver.
4. If using a long bus and no aide, just list the service provider as Sp Ed Bus
Driver (without the Aide).
Examples: (all are High School level)
A. Student rides Sped Bus to/from School and also gets special transportation to
Community sites during day (using the short bus with driver and aide): (this was
the example you got previously)
B. Student rides Regular bus to/from school (not listed on IEP because it is a
regular ed service, not a sped service) but gets special transportation to
Community sites during day (using the short bus with driver and aide):
Special Transportation Guidance for CBE/CBVI C. Student rides Regular bus to/from school (not listed on IEP because it is a
regular ed service, not a sped service) but gets special transportation to
Community sites during the day (using a long bus with a driver and no aide):
D. Student rides Sped Bus to/from school and gets special transportation to
Community sites during the day (using a long bus with a driver and no aide):
5. Please do not confuse this with a Field Trip. Field Trips are not a Special
Education service and not a Special Transportation service. Some students will
need a specially equipped bus to access Field trips that their class is participating
in. That is not Special Transportation and would not be listed on Service page.
The proper place to document that would be on the Supports page of the IEP.
Special Transportation Guidance for CBE/CBVI See below: