Most CPS Students with Disabilities, Others from Magnet Schools Get Bus Routes After Driver Shortage
Schools Make Progress in Providing Transportation for Students with Disabilities
Almost all Chicago Public School students with disabilities who require busing now have bus routes and — for the first time in two years — the school system is set to provide transportation for a small number of students who attend magnet and selective enrollment schools.
CPS CEO Pedro Martinez’s Commitment
CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said Friday that only 148 students with disabilities are still awaiting routes, down from 1,900 at the beginning of the year. He also said the state had closed a corrective action case over transportation against CPS.
“I pledge to you that we will not stop working on this issue — the job will not be done until all students with disabilities who are eligible for transportation are receiving that service,” said Martinez, who noted that the district receives new requests daily and tries to get them assigned to routes within 10 days.
Progress Made, But Challenges Remain
After the pandemic created a driver shortage, the school district has been struggling to provide busing for all students who have traditionally gotten it. Because it is legally required to provide service for students with disabilities and unhoused students, the school district stopped last year offering busing for all magnet and selective enrollment school students.
After making progress reducing the number of disabled students without routes and the travel times last year, the district suffered a setback this summer when one of the bus companies went out of business.
At the same time, school district officials said 10,695 disabled students requested transportation at the beginning of the year — an increase of 50% compared to last year, according to CPS. The percentage of disabled and unhoused students enrolled in the school system has also been going up.
New Initiatives to Improve Transportation
Martinez said the school district was able to get these students assigned to routes, in part by changing start times of 36 schools and being more efficient with routes.
The district is also starting a so-called transportation hub program, where some students attending magnet and selective enrollment schools could go to a school near their home to catch a bus to their assigned school and be dropped back off there. The small hub pilot program will begin December 9 for children in neighborhoods facing the most hardship.
Criticisms from Parents and Advocates
CPS Parents for Buses, a group formed to advocate for fixes to the busing system, said the plans for general education students are “completely vague” and criticized district officials for failing to provide updates since the summer. The group said it hasn’t been given details on the pilot program.
Erin Schubert, a parent volunteer with CPS Parents for Buses, said she felt the district was “just giving us a line to try to stave off any further confrontation about it.”
“The second the state oversight went away last year, they just fell back into not doing their job,” said Schubert, who has one child at her neighborhood school and another at a selective enrollment school.
Conclusion
While the news may be welcomed by some families, it is clear that there is still much work to be done to address the ongoing challenges facing the school district’s transportation system. As the district continues to work to improve its services, it is essential that parents, advocates, and district officials remain committed to finding solutions that meet the needs of all students, including those with disabilities and those attending magnet and selective enrollment schools.
FAQs
* Q: How many students with disabilities are still waiting for bus routes?
A: According to CPS CEO Pedro Martinez, only 148 students with disabilities are still awaiting routes, down from 1,900 at the beginning of the year.
* Q: What is the transportation hub program, and when will it start?
A: The transportation hub program is a new initiative that allows students attending magnet and selective enrollment schools to catch a bus to their assigned school at a school near their home and be dropped back off there. The pilot program will begin December 9 for children in neighborhoods facing the most hardship.
* Q: What is the current state of the district’s transportation system?
A: The district is still struggling to provide busing for all students who have traditionally gotten it, and the pandemic created a driver shortage that has exacerbated the issue.
* Q: What is the role of the state in overseeing the district’s transportation system?
A: The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has been involved in monitoring the district’s transportation system and has closed a corrective action case over transportation against CPS. However, some advocates argue that ISBE has not done enough to hold the district accountable for its failures.
