New here - sorta...and question about EI preschool busing?

Hi! My DS (2yrs,4mths) will be starting a developmental Preschool next week and I was so excited, I love the school and think he will love it.

He is supposed to be bussed, which I didn't love the at first, but his school starts at the same time as my dd's preschool (at a different location and she has to be driven), so I kind of need the bus for him.

So I found out today that morning pick up time is like 20 minutes before class starts, so thats fine, BUT then I found out tonight (got a voicemail) that his drop off time back home is an hour and 15 minutes after he gets out of school.

So school ends at 11:30 and they said his drop off time is 12:45

Can that be right? I mean, I'm going to call them to double check that they had the hour right, but can they really have children, especially that young, especially with special needs be on a bus for that long?

And if I then decide to pick him up in the afternoon, would I have to waive busing in the morning too?

Re: New here - sorta...and question about EI preschool busing?

that does sound very odd.... i know they probably have a bus route but thats a long time to be on a bus! I would call the school and double check to see if there is anyway they can shorten the route?

BTW what school are you sending your DS to? I am also interested in sending my DS to a school while he is still getting services via EI.

New here - sorta...and question about EI preschool busing?

I was talking to my ABA team leader yesterday, and she was saying depending on the location of the school and how many children were on the bus, sometimes taking the bus can add an hour of travel. If most parents are dropping off in the morning but having their child bussed home in the afternoon, it'll obviously add to the time. Personally, I feel like you do and having a child, special needs or not and especially that young, on a bus for so long would be insane. I hope that it's a mistake!

If you can pick him up, you should not have to waive the morning bussing.

Re: New here - sorta...and question about EI preschool busing?

Thanks! So I called today and no mistake. They actually said that the kids (even that young) could be on the bus for up to 90 mins as per county rules... I know our school district is only 30 mins, so when I found out he would be on for over an hour I couldn't believe it.

The school is building blocks, but the transportation company is separate.

So they also told me that it is only an estimate and if it does end up taking that long, they will " see what [they] could do" .. I will have to figure something else out if it's much longer than 30-40 mins.

New here - sorta...and question about EI preschool busing?

Usually what will happen if they DO take that long to transport the kids home is that they will split the route and hire another bus.

The first few days of bussing at the beginning of a school year is always hell.

Re: New here - sorta...and question about EI preschool busing?

I had the same issue a few years ago with DD and the bus. And I got the same reply...that it WAS legal, and that after the first few weeks, they'd have a better idea of what time it would actually be. So I told them that once they had a better idea, to call me, but until then I'd be driving DD. So after about 2 weeks, we were able to get her on the bus, with a reasonable ride time in both directions. And as a PP said, they ended up splitting the route, because it was just too long. You should not have to waive the am bus if you're going to pick up DS.

Re: New here - sorta...and question about EI preschool busing?

My son averaged over an hour each way on the bus (school was only 15 minutes away). This past year when he went half day, he was on the bus longer than he was actually in school... Until he started having behavioral issues, he was fine on the bus and most often napped

New here - sorta...and question about EI preschool busing?

I inquired about long bus rides in the past and was told legally preschoolers can be on the bus one way for
a max of 90 minutes! I think that's just ridiculous.

Re: New here - sorta...and question about EI preschool busing?

My ds napped on the bus everyday so I didn't mind the hour trip- our school was 25 minutes away. In the morning the bus aide read him books and played games with him. I drove the first year and had a newborn the second year so logistically I just couldn't do it anymore.

Re: New here - sorta...and question about EI preschool busing?

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Glad to know the kids were ok with it. I guess if they do nap it's not that bad.

I was just taken aback when I found out they could and would be on for that long.

I'm not sure if ds will nap on the bus, and he does get hot really easily, si I just can't imagine him being on that long.

Re: New here - sorta...and question about EI preschool busing?

We are so thankful for this forum and all of the input from everyone. Our DD just started SEI preschool yesterday and our application for busing is in progress.

The school is a 20 min drive for us and we are also concerned about any lengthy trip especially over 1 hour. It's great to hear that the bus aides read and play with the children. We've read about some horror stories with regards to abuse of autistic and developmentally disabled children on buses so we were real nervous.