This Squeaky Wheel Got the Grease
Posted by Miz Kp on Sep 13, 2012 in Blog | 11 commentsI did not anticipate having to put on my “advocate cape” so early in the school year. You would wear one too if your child had to endure a three-hour bus ride home from school day after day. 
When we enrolled Angel in a school located in another borough, we were a bit uneasy about his commute. However, there were other things to consider as well.
In an effort to seek an appropriate education for Angel we had to find a school with four things:
- an appropriate teaching methodology (Angel needs ABA.)
- an appropriate environment (including being safe)
- an appropriate class ratio
- related services at the mandated-weekly frequency
Initially, we were sent to register at a community school in our neighborhood, thanks to special education reform. It was not appropriate.
After three visits, I was told that they could not provide the services that Angel needed at the frequency that he needed them.
Next, we were offered a placement in our borough at a public school but it was simply not appropriate. The metal detector at the building entrance was certainly not a plus.
After a reconvene with the Committee on Special Education (CSE) and a subsequent deferral to the Central Base Support Team (CBST), Angel was approved for placement at a funded non-public school outside of our home borough.
Now that you have some background information on how we got here, let me get to the issue we were facing.
On the evening of the first day of school, our anxiety levels increased once the clock passed 4:30pm. We were all a mess and frantic with worry. We were all calling the bus company. No answer. Finally, we called Angel’s school and we were told to call the Office of Pupil Transportation (OPT).
Our call to OPT got us the “these things take time” and “wait and see” lines from several customer service representatives. We also got a complaint number. Woo hoo! We did this everyday until I was advised by another parent of a child with autism to e-mail the director of OPT in our borough.
When Angel arrived home at 5:39pm on Monday, I was at my breaking point. Even the bus driver was encouraging me to make calls because there was a child on Angel’s bus who was adding a significant amount of time to his commute. This is certainly not the child’s fault but certainly the result of poor planning on the part of OPT.
I spent Monday night drafting my e-mail and sent it out at 8:40am Tuesday morning. Within an hour, I got a response from our borough’s OPT director and an apology. My e-mail was also forwarded to the director of the borough where Angel’s school is located and the bus router.
I must say I was impressed with how quickly they responded to me. Finally, the router called and the issue had been taken care off. The child who had been adding a significant amount of time to Angel’s bus ride was transferred to another bus. The router also assured me that they are monitoring the situation. This took a little under three hours!!! I made sure to e-mail everyone who helped us and tell them thank you.
Angel has arrived home within 90 minutes everyday, since this issue has been resolved. Yes, this is still a long commute but way better than 180 minutes. I know many parents of children with special needs who have similar commutes.
We re-submitted our request for limited travel time to get Angel less time on the bus within reason given the distance. This happened at the same time that I was trying to get his route changed. We had to re-submit because our request was rejected during the “Turning 5” process earlier this year.
Now, I am being told that we will have to file for an impartial hearing and have a judge rule on if Angel can get limited time. We are weighing our options and observing how Angel handles the commute as it stands. In other words, we are picking our battles. We will certainly make a decision that takes Angel’s well being and safety into account.
Until the NYC Department of Education can invest in more appropriate schools in ALL boroughs, our children will continue to endure long bus rides between Westchester, Long Island, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx to receive a Free Appropriate Public Education.
This squeaky wheel did get the grease and Angel can always be assured that we will fight for him even if we have to break the chain of command to get things done.
Are you still having busing issues? My blog pal over at Autism Wonderland has also shared her experience and included information on who to contact if you are having transportation issues.
Please share your back to school experience. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Miz Kp
I am Miz Kp, the creator of Sailing Autistic Seas. My Web site is dedicated to my son "Angel" who is on the autism spectrum.
I am thankful for the insight this blog provides. Many of us don’t want to be bothered with the problems of others. We know what taking care of Angel for a day may entail and sometimes we just want out freedom, an effortless day. I was reading the earlier blog entry “Do you have a SUPPORT SYSTEM?” that made me realize how my brother felt about not having assistance when he needed someone to watch Angel. And that’s what I like about this blog. We can all come together as a community to learn about each other’s struggles, hopefully become more aware and be better citizens of the world. I remember an earlier blog entry on looks strangers and passersby would give Mom of Angel, when he decided to say EEEEEEE as he commonly does. Reading this particular blog entry of your struggles, and perhaps that is not the best word, perhaps dealings, makes us realize how important it is to take the time to sign petitions for better Autism care related mandates. I will leave you with this thought. I once worked in an environment with a seemingly disgruntled employee. I was complaining about being in close proximity to him. A colleague commented “respectfully, it is not my cross to bear”. Let the least we do, is be aware of the signs of autism and not add an extra burden to parents with looks that dare to say “Control your child” or “Why do you want me to look after him; I’m relaxing”. Let’s try to be supportive and if we are unable to get really involved, let’s try to do the best we can.
I agree. Support comes in all forms and from the least likely sources some times. Thanks so much for commenting.
So happy to hear you got an improvement! I have been wondering how it was going with this problem.
Thanks. All is well since we got the routing sorted out.
Break down those barriers lady! Take no prisoners lol. It’s never too early in the year to put on your advocate cape. As soon as the school year starts I’m already thinking about what we are going to accomplish that year and what will it take to get there. Bus rides can be hard on a kid. Too long in transit and the child could arrive already in meltdown mode. Not good for starting or ending a school day. We have a bit of a commute for our youngest boy too. We have broken down the monotony by sending his favourte stuffed toys with him. He’s had a bit of trouble adjusting to the long ride. But the ride isn’t as long as yours was. That’s nuts three hours. This is busing a child not going on Gilligans isle for a three hour tour! We have been lucky the bus company has worked hard with us and the school. It seems you have gotten good communication and understanding from your company too. Wish there was more good schools that provide ABA so we all could stay more local. Cheers to you though for getting the trip time reduced. Hope the child who was moved to another route is having a better commute now too.
Sending toys is a good idea. We need to try that as well. Thanks for your encouragement. We need more school providing adequate services and appropriate methodologies so our kids are not subjected to such insane commutes.
Wonderful job!! Angel is truly blessed to have a mommy like you!!
Thanks. I appreciate your support.
This demonstrates the importance of parents sharing information and supporting each other. Thanks for sharing this busing problem and the strategies used to bring relief. I can empathize with the emotions on day one as the hours slip away without Angel returning from school and you unable to reach anyone!
I agree that it is very important for parents to help one another and share. I would still be calling customer service if another parent had not helped me.
As a child, I remember hating the long school bus rides I had to take to my program. But it’s worth it if Angel is getting the services he needs to grow and learn. You’re an awesome mama for advocating so well for your son. It’s terrible that the school system makes it so difficult for families and children to the services children need though.