special needs preschooler riding a bus

asch884

New member
Hi, I needs some ideas if you have dealt with this.

My son is 3. he is 30lbs and 39.5 inches with a 16 inch torso. He starts in the special needs preschool on thursday and he was going to ride the bus. I called them today to find out what kind of seats they had to see if he would fit in them. Well they didnt knwo what they were so I asked if I could come to the bus company to see them. They didnt want to but they did end up letting me. Well one of the reasons they didnt want me to come was because one seat was a century t-shield very old and expired the other was a combination dorel harness and booster which was also recalled. I told him that and he became very defensive with me insisting they were not expired.

Anyway he told since my son is too tall for both seats they would put him in a high back booster. I am not happy with this. This is a child with low mucsle tone, and he is globally delayed and is at best at a 2 year old level. I aslo live in wisconsin and the law here says that 1-4 years old and under 40lbs has to be in a harnessed child restraint. So does that law not work with school buses? He is suppose to be in the small yellow school bus. I have called the national safty protroll and they are trying to figure out who I need to talk to tofind out if it is legal to put a just turned 3 year old in a booster

Any thoughts or ideas would be great. Thanks so much
 
ADS

Jennifer mom to my 7

Well-known member
Hi:) How much room does your 3 year old have in the marathon?

Okay, double checked other board, and he is even with the top of the marathon straps. Have you tried to get the marathon more upright?
 

Pixels

New member
If he is going to Head Start, it's federally mandated that all children are properly restrained, and lap-only belts on the bus do not count. Does the bus have lap-shoulder belts? If not, they can't use boosters.

From WI's own DOT:
There is an exception in the child safety seat law when transporting small children in both commercial and school buses, but when possible, correct child restraints are recommended.

* Smaller school buses often have seat belts because they are used to transport smaller children or children with behavioral or other forms of disabilities.
* Seat belts can be very helpful in keeping children seated.
* Children under four should be transported in an approved child restraint, properly installed in the vehicle, if seat belts are present.
 

asch884

New member
Hi

He is not going to head start he is to far behind a typical child to be able to do that yet. He is going to early childhood though the school system with kids who are all at his level or maybe a little above.

In my car he is in the frontier 85 and he fits great he has really no room in his marathon to the point that it isnt really usable anymore and I gave it to my sister in law for her to use for her 1 year old.

I am just a little upseat that they would put a 3 year old in a booster seat when all the head start buses have the intergated harnesses seats in there buses.

grr.
 

Starlight

Senior Community Member
With his low tone issues, you might be able to get your pediatrician or therapist to write a letter or rx mandating that he sit in an appropriately sized 5 point harness in all vehicles. Once you have the letter, request an amendment to his IEP to spell this out, and make sure transportation gets a copy.

My son's school buses only have lapbelts for children of this age, so his IEP specifies that he is allowed to ride in "appropriately installed and fitted parent-provided carseat, Q-straint harness system, or Safeguard Star harness system." I made sure to list the seats as specifically as possible, and we have not had any problems since the amendment went in.
 

asch884

New member
Starlight:

Did you have to supply your own seat when it was added to his iep? That is my problem I am really short on money right now and really cant afford another careseat.

I thought of going though my pedi, but my thought was that I thought for special needs kids the school system had to have a propor child seat for him and if they didnt they had to buy one for him.

Let me know if that is wrong
 

Starlight

Senior Community Member
I typed up this huge reply, and it disappeared. :(

The school is required to make accomodations for your son, as outlined in the IEP. They don't have to do anything that is not in the IEP. (I would strongly encourage you to attend any classes you can find about the IEP process and how it works! It has been a huge help!) When it comes to writing the IEP, its significantly harder to get accomodations for a child that does not have a specific diagnosis - ie, if your son had cerebral palsy, you'd have no problem. But when I call trans and I say "hey, my 2 yo has diagnosed adhd and behavioral issues, in addition to his delays", they don't really care.

I know that money is tight to you, but for this accomodation, it just might be necessary to bite the bullet. :(
 

asch884

New member
Starlight thanks for the replys. At this time we dont have a strong diagnosis. He does have these labels: brain damage, anxiety, ataxia, sensory processing disorder,develpmental coordination disorder, hypotonia (low muscle tone) He has autisic like tendincies but no autism diangosis at this time. He is globally delayed in all areas. He is being worked up by genetics so we will see.. It shocks me that the special needs kids are not more protected in the hole busing process.

We do have a IeP written up but we didnt put anything in there for the bus. I honestly didnt think I would have to. i thought that was the one area i wouldnt have to worry about.
 

bethng

Active member
Starlight:

Did you have to supply your own seat when it was added to his iep? That is my problem I am really short on money right now and really cant afford another careseat.

I recently put into one of my student's IEP that he must ride rear facing in a convertible seat. He is a tiny 3 year old (about the size of a 1 year old)and very floppy. The district gave me a hard time about it at first until I put it in his IEP. Then, just like that, he had two new sceneras fresh from walmart. One for his AM but and one for PM bus. Now granted nobody knew how to install them but that is a whole 'nother story. So if its in your son's IEP I am pretty sure (at least where I live) that the district must provide the equipment he needs to fulfill what the IEP states.
 

flipper68

Senior Community Member
I recently put into one of my student's IEP that he must ride rear facing in a convertible seat. He is a tiny 3 year old (about the size of a 1 year old)and very floppy. The district gave me a hard time about it at first until I put it in his IEP. Then, just like that, he had two new sceneras fresh from walmart. One for his AM but and one for PM bus. Now granted nobody knew how to install them but that is a whole 'nother story. So if its in your son's IEP I am pretty sure (at least where I live) that the district must provide the equipment he needs to fulfill what the IEP states.

I am surprised that an ECSE bus does not have up to date seats. I would address this issue with the transportation director AND the special education director (or administrator responsible for both). The majority of students transported on an ECSE bus are not able to pass the 5 step test (issues with size, physical disabilities, low tone, maturity, behavior/self control).

Did you ask if the district has any "EZ on" products? That might be a solution as well. (You'll want to inspect the vest for age, wear, and fit before using with your son.)

At the same time, an IEP can't be amended and enforced overnight, especially since the child is too large for most inexpensive AND readily available seats. (If the district agrees to the IEP accommodation, they would have to purchase a new seat, which in many districts does not simply involve a quick trip to Walmart or Target).

Will district allow you to install your seat on the bus?
If so, will the seat remain installed on the bus or be removed for other "runs" and then need to be reinstalled?
 

bethng

Active member
I am surprised that an ECSE bus does not have up to date seats. I would address this issue with the transportation director AND the special education director (or administrator responsible for both). The majority of students transported on an ECSE bus are not able to pass the 5 step test (issues with size, physical disabilities, low tone, maturity, behavior/self control).They have new seats...the "safeguard star"? (cant recall the exact name at the moment. And some forward facing only seats that are not expired

Did you ask if the district has any "EZ on" products? That might be a solution as well. (You'll want to inspect the vest for age, wear, and fit before using with your son.) We do have the EZ on vests. But usually the safeguard seats are used. And FTR, I was speaking about a student of mine...not my actual child. I pushed the transportation dept to buy two new sceneras for this little TINY 3 year old who had to rear face. I won that battle.

At the same time, an IEP can't be amended and enforced overnight, especially since the child is too large for most inexpensive AND readily available seats. (If the district agrees to the IEP accommodation, they would have to purchase a new seat, which in many districts does not simply involve a quick trip to Walmart or Target).

Will district allow you to install your seat on the bus? Probably not adressed to me but the drivers install the seats. And do a crappy job of it and then I reinstall the seats lol. One driver told me the other day (as I am fixing the above mentioned rf scenera that I could "twist the buckle stalk up to 3 times" Ummm.....really? I TAUGHT the director of transportation that when she told me that no I could never do that. I won that battle too! :D
If so, will the seat remain installed on the bus or be removed for other "runs" and then need to be reinstalled?
In the case of my student, each seat remains rear facing on each bus (to school and to home) and its just for him. :thumbsup:
 

asch884

New member
Re: special needs preschooler riding a bus UPDATE

I am finally back. I had to do alot of calling to diffrent people to get the school district to get something that was appropiate for my son.

The school bought a ez on vest for him. He is the only one it cause the other kids are much shorter then him and fit in the carseats they have. I tried to get the expired carseat out of the bus but did not have much luck. The bus company told me that the 6 years is a recommentaion by the manufators and I said so if the bus gets in a accident and the child is in a expired carseat and the parent find out they can go after the bus company. He got real quit and said he would have to do some research on experation dates. so hopefully they get replaced.

My son is in a good "carseat" that fits him well and he is so excited to start riding the school bus on Tuesday.
 

ADEE

New member
so glad you got a resolution!! we went through this with our sons school/bus riding situation also. we went round and round in circles before they agreed to provide him with a 5-pt carseat to and from school... when i asked them who would be buckling him in and insuring he was in properly (even buckled up!) they told us we could not get on the bus with him that his aide would do it for us. (his iep outlined he was to have a personal aide to help with transitioning) They pulled into our complex the first day and there was no aide waiting for him. We chose not to have him ride the bus and I just took my boys to two different schools for the year, the following year (this year) they attend the same school. It was a hassle but I was not about to send my 3yo, 25lb little guy with medical problems ride in a carseat on a school bus when they couldnt tell me he was even being buckled in properly (didnt help my dh didnt like the idea from the start so i was fighting a losing battle)

none the less sounds like you got a great resolution!
 

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