Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 28 - EDUCATION › Part CXIII - Bulletin 119-Louisiana School Transportation Specifications and Procedures › Chapter 21 - Transporting Students with Disabilities › Section CXIII-2103 - Guidelines for Providing Transportation Service for Students with Disabilities

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
A. LEAs
				must comply with IDEA, Section 504, Louisiana Statutes and regulations and
				policies set forth in the DOE bulletins governing educational services for
				students with disabilities.
B. LEA
				transportation staff must develop procedures to minimize conflicts and resolve
				issues that may arise in transporting students requiring additional
				services.
C. LEAs must provide
				school bus service for students with disabilities as indicated in the student's
				IEP. The IEP may specify "curb-to-curb" or "door-to-door" services. When
				alternative modes of transportation are required, approval must be granted by
				the special education supervisor and LEA transportation authority. Alternative
				arrangements must be stated in the IEP.
1.
				The term "curb-to-curb" implies that bus drivers and bus attendants are
				responsible for loading and unloading students at their home bus stops and at
				school loading/unloading areas. The term "door-to-door" implies that the bus
				driver and or bus attendant are responsible for loading and unloading students
				at that door and at school loading/unloading areas. This related service does
				not extend to the interior of the student's home.
2. In determining whether to include
				transportation in a student's IEP, the IEP team must consider how the student's
				disability affects the student need for transportation. Factors include: the
				student's ability to move independently, ability to reason and understand
				potential safety hazards en route to the bus stop as a result of the student's
				age or disability, nature and condition of the route, availability of public
				assistance, and access to private assistance.
3. If a student with a disability can use the
				same transportation as non-disabled students, then transportation is not likely
				to be a related service and the LEA may make the same transportation provisions
				for the student with a disability that it does for the general
				population.
4. Students with
				disabilities may not have transportation schedules which differ from
				non-disabled students. Students with disabilities must be transported on a
				schedule which allows them to receive a full instructional das as documented on
				the IEP.
5. Certain students may be
				picked up at a safe bus stop near (e.g., at the corner of) their residences.
				Alternate arrangements can be made that are mutually agreeable to all parties,
				but must be handled on an individual basis and indicated in the IEP.
6. Parents must request approval from the
				school and the school bus driver when the child is going to be picked up or
				dropped off at a location different from the student's residence. Prior
				approval from the LEA transportation office is required if the different
				location results in time conflicts, overloads, or an increase in the driver's
				mileage. Final approval rests with the LEA.
7. Local procedures must be developed to
				specify whether bus drivers, bus attendants, classroom teachers, teacher
				assistants, or other staff is responsible for taking students to and from the
				school buses at the school site.