Your child can get free transportation to and from school if:

• The school provides busing to all students.
• Your child’s disability makes it so that she cannot safely get to school.
• Your child goes to a school that is not her neighborhood school because of her disability.

The school must provide any special equipment your child needs to get to school safely. The equipment should be listed in your child’s IEP/504 Plan.

 If your child with an IEP/504 needs busing to get to school, she will need it to be able to go on field trips or do after-school sports and activities. The school must provide busing for these activities too.

In Illinois, the school must make “every effort” to keep your child’s ride less than 1 hour each way. Your child must be at school on time and leave only once the school day is over.

If your child acts out on the bus, the school should not take her busing away. The team should add more supports to keep your child and the other children safe on the  bus. This could be a special seatbelt, a paraprofessional, a behavior intervention plan, or social work to help your child’s behavior.

Your child’s medical needs might make her need an aide, nurse’s aide,  or  a nurse on the bus with her. Talk with your child’s doctor about what the training and qualifications of that person need to be to keep your child safe on the bus. Make sure this information is in her IEP/504 Plan.

Students who get bus service do not get door-to-door transportation unless it states that it is needed in your child’s IEP/504 Plan.

Schools can hire a bus company to bus students, but it’s the school’s job to make sure that the bus company is following the law.

Ask your child’s doctor to write a letter that says in detail why your child needs transportation, including:

• Why her disability makes her need transportation services.
• When she needs services, including to and from school, after-school activities, or field trips.
• Any accommodations she needs such as special equipment, an aide, special training of staff, air conditioning, behavior supports, etc.
• The doctor should not say that your child would “benefit” from these supports but that she “needs them to access her education and school.”
• Ask for a IEP/504 meeting to add these things to your child’s plan.

• Report any problems to the school in writing.
• Get a letter from your child’s doctor explaining the changes that need to be made to fix the problem.
• If the driver or aide does not understand your child’s needs, the school could train your child’s driver or aide, or it could give your child a new driver or aide.
• Ask for a meeting to discuss the problem.
• Go to the meeting. Make sure the new plan is in writing.
• If things are not fixed, see Equip for Equality’s “What to Do When You Disagree with the School” fact sheet to learn more about your options.