PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Tara Foster, Senior Staff Attorney at Queens Legal Services, on School Bus Transportation Services
2:45:55
·
3 min
Tara Foster, representing Queens Legal Services, testified on the ongoing issues with school bus transportation services in New York City, particularly highlighting the disproportionate impact on students with disabilities. She emphasized the need for improvements in service quality, ride times, and accommodations for students with special needs.
- Foster reported that many students, especially those with disabilities, experience excessively long bus rides (up to 3 hours each way) despite having IEP requirements for limited travel time.
- She noted difficulties in obtaining reimbursements for alternative transportation and securing necessary accommodations like seatbelt harnesses and air conditioning.
- Foster stressed the need for better regulation and credentials for bus personnel to ensure proper treatment of children during transportation.
Tara Foster
2:45:55
Good afternoon.
2:45:55
I'm Tara Foster.
2:45:58
I'm a senior staff attorney in the education advocacy project at Queen's Legal Services, which is part of Legal Services NYC.
2:46:06
Thank you so much for the opportunity to testify at this oversight hearing regarding upgrading school transportation services and rebidding contracts.
2:46:16
As the chair has mentioned earlier today, school transportation services directly impact educational access and the safety and well-being of New York City school children and students across the state of New York.
2:46:29
Unfortunately, existing school bus transportation service problems and issues have a disproportionately adverse impact on vulnerable populations, especially students with abilities.
2:46:42
So we appreciate the council's willingness to entertain commentary from the public regarding school transportation issues and problems.
2:46:53
Based on reports from 2022, approximately 150,000 New York City students rely on school bus transportation.
2:47:01
I understand this morning they were saying was around 145,000, still a significant number of students We are the largest schools district in the nation, and we can do better.
2:47:14
This year, as in many prior years, New York City parents continue to describe failures and significant barriers to transportation services and accommodations.
2:47:23
Our clients report that their children remain on buses for far too long, sometimes between 1 and 3 quarters to 3 or more hours each way.
2:47:32
This occurs even when schools are not particularly far from the home and when students have limited travel time, requirements on their IEP or have otherwise sought these or other accommodations based on recommendations of their daughters and their identified disabilities.
2:47:50
I have put in some examples of clients I've worked with.
2:47:54
I know the time is short, and it is in the testimony.
2:47:58
But suffice it to say that, you know, the DOE has talked a little bit about rideshare and the availability of it.
2:48:09
Clients and people that I have spoken to are not having much luck with that.
2:48:15
Unless litigation is filed, they usually aren't getting, like, reimbursement for car fair and things like that.
2:48:22
Kids are on the bus for an anordinately long period of time.
2:48:26
Often, they don't get you know, they have to fight to get their seat belt harnesses.
2:48:30
Things that traditionally really should be on a bus for any child.
2:48:34
Air conditioning, Let's face it.
2:48:36
Kids on on that gets special transportation to district 75, and private schools have, you know, mini buses, which generally are equipped with the air conditioning.
2:48:45
But this should be something that is available.
2:48:47
Kids cannot be on the bus for hours and hours.
2:48:50
Now, I wanna paint a little bit of a picture.
2:48:53
Imagine the distress and discomfort of a student who wets or soils themselves on a bus, or that of a student who becomes ill or dysregulated.
2:49:02
And the parents complain too about, you know, they get to school, they just regulated.
2:49:07
That impacts the other children in the school, the teachers.
2:49:12
Finally, I I I feel that sorry.
2:49:16
I'm not gonna be able to get through much of my testimony, and I I refer you to what I've written, but I do think we need to also think about the treatment of children on the bus.
2:49:26
Now this is not every bus personnel, but there's not any regulation really going on about credentials for people that are with our children on the bus going to school.
2:49:39
So I hope you will think about our comments, and I will pass it on to many of the parents and others who have many stories.
2:49:45
I apologize for going a little over time.
