I cannot see my child’s bus stop from the house. Are there state laws that set the standards for bus stop location?
No law requires a parent to see the bus stop from home. Students in Ohio may be assigned to a bus stop up to one-half mile from their home and we encourage parents to accompany their child to the bus stop whenever possible. This teaches the child safe habits of walking to and from the bus stop and may give the parent piece of mind. Bus stop locations are determined by each district’s board of education. Most school districts design stops to service the needs to a neighborhood and parents should not expect individualized services to benefit their needs over the needs of other families.
Are sidewalks required for my child to get to his/her bus stop?
Many students walk alongside of roadways to reach their bus stop and in some instances no sidewalks exist. While we understand this may be of concern in some situations, the Department of Education does not promulgate bus stop placement. Issues relating to where a child’s bus stop is located and safety concerns along the way to the bus stop must be addressed with the district in which you reside.
I transport my child to a nonpublic/community school each day and just learned a program exists for reimbursement. How can I be reimbursed for transporting my child?
As a parent, you should contact your public school district and request transportation. If it is not practical for them to do so, they will work with you to initiate a process to establish payment-in-lieu of transportation if you are eligible. Parents are not afforded the option of being paid for transporting their own child in cases where the service is provided by the district but is not the service parents prefer.
I make my child wait inside of my house until the bus is at the stop. I have heard this is not allowed – is this true?
Ohio law requires children to be waiting at the bus stop prior to its arrival. Bus drivers count the students at the bus stop before they load and as they get on the bus to ensure all children are safely on board. If students are not waiting at the bus stop the bus driver cannot count them and cannot be certain the students are all safely on board. Waiting at the bus stop before the bus arrives further ensures that no one chases after the bus – this is a very dangerous thing to do. Many districts also instruct their buses to not stop at locations where no students are waiting.
My child has an I.E.P. but transportation is not being provided. Why is this?
A child who has an I.E.P. does not automatically receive transportation unless the I.E.P. team writes this into the related services. If transportation is not included on the I.E.P. your child will be transported similarly to regular education students in your district.