Ventura County Grand Jury
• 2020-2021
School Bus Safety for Special Education Students
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 13 findings
F01
The Grand Jury finds that bus drivers are expected to do a demanding set of tasks: simultaneously drive a bus while following all the rules of the road and monitor and respond to any behavioral issues during the bus ride.
No recommendations for this finding
F02
The Grand Jury finds that among special education students, autistic, emotionally disturbed, and combined loss of hearing and vision students are distinctly vulnerable populations that would benefit from increased supervisory presence on the school bus.
No recommendations for this finding
F03
The Grand Jury finds that VCOE transports a significant number of County special education students, including autistic, emotionally disturbed, and those with combined loss of hearing and vision.
No recommendations for this finding
F04
The Grand Jury finds that the County SELPA is a valuable resource for any family with a child who has special needs.
No recommendations for this finding
F05
The Grand Jury finds that VCOE follows an established process to assign a transportation aide for special education students on the bus through an IEP.
No recommendations for this finding
F06
The Grand Jury finds that VCOE transportation personnel (bus drivers and transportation administrators) are rarely included in student IEP meetings.
No recommendations for this finding
F07
The Grand Jury finds that VCOE uses a case-by-case method for determining the need for a non-IEP assigned bus attendant to a school bus.
No recommendations for this finding
F08
The Grand Jury finds that the current policy and practice of submission of Bus Conduct Report Forms at VCOE does not include a method for analyzing information from completed Bus Conduct Report Forms to identify and determine trends and recurring safety issues on buses for special education students.
No recommendations for this finding
F09
The Grand Jury finds that the VCOE Policy and Procedures for Transportation of Special Education Students does not include a procedure regarding the use of bus attendants as suggested by the California Special Education Transportation Guidelines.
No recommendations for this finding
F10
The Grand Jury finds that VCOE has no written standards, policies, or procedures by which a school administrator can evaluate the need for and request a bus attendant on a special education school bus.
Related Recommendations (1)
R03
The Grand Jury recommends that VCOE adopt a procedure by which a VCOE administrator can evaluate the need for, and request, a bus attendant. (F-10, F-11)
F11
The Grand Jury finds that having an additional adult on a school bus transporting student with behavioral problems is one of several strategies that would increase supervision and safety on buses for special education students.
Related Recommendations (1)
R04
The Grand Jury recommends that VCOE adopt a procedure that relates to strategies for assuring increased supervision and a safe environment on a school bus. Strategies could include assigning bus attendants to buses carrying students of higher risk, for example, autistic, emotionally disturbed, or deaf/blind students. Another strategy could be installing internal cameras or other innovative systems on special education school buses. (F-02, F-11, F-12, F-13) RESPONSES Responses required from: The following elected officer : Ventura County Superintendent of Schools (F-01, F-02, F-03, F-05, F-06, F-07,
F12
The Grand Jury finds that installation of video cameras on a school bus is one of several strategies that would increase supervision and safety on buses for special education students. School Bus Safety for Special Education Students
Related Recommendations (1)
R04
The Grand Jury recommends that VCOE adopt a procedure that relates to strategies for assuring increased supervision and a safe environment on a school bus. Strategies could include assigning bus attendants to buses carrying students of higher risk, for example, autistic, emotionally disturbed, or deaf/blind students. Another strategy could be installing internal cameras or other innovative systems on special education school buses. (F-02, F-11, F-12, F-13) RESPONSES Responses required from: The following elected officer : Ventura County Superintendent of Schools (F-01, F-02, F-03, F-05, F-06, F-07,
F13
The Grand Jury finds that new systems for school bus monitoring and supervision are being explored and utilized by at least one County school district. RECOMMENDATIONS
No recommendations for this finding
Additional Recommendations 2
These recommendations are not explicitly linked to specific findings.
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R01The Grand Jury recommends that VCOE include transportation personnel in scheduled student IEP meetings when the student needs adaptive or assistive equipment, when school bus equipment is required to be modified or a when a behavior intervention plan is to be implemented for pupils exhibiting severe behavioral difficulties, as recommended by the California Special Education Guidelines. (F-01, F-02, F-03, F-05, F-06,
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R02The Grand Jury recommends that VCOE adopt a standardized, predictive approach of analyzing data from Bus Conduct Report Forms to identify trends in behaviors that lead to unsafe situations, with the goal of developing specific strategies to minimize those risks. (F-08, F-09)
Commendations 7
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CM1 Page 13The Grand Jury commends school bus drivers in the County for accomplishing a demanding set of tasks: simultaneously driving a bus and responding to behavioral issues during the bus ride. The Grand Jury commends VCOE for its proactive, ongoing, and pertinent training for bus drivers. The Grand Jury commends the County SELPA for providing information and support to families of children with special needs. School Bus Safety for Special Education Students 11
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CM2 Page 14REFERENCES Ref-01. Mauro, Terri. What Does “Special Needs Mean?” Verywell Family. May 20, 2020 https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-are-special-needs- 3106002 Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-02. California Education Code Section 56195.8 https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?la wCode=EDC§ionNum=56195.8 Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-03. Ventura County SELPA https://www.vcselpa.org/ Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-04. California Department of Education. California Special Education Local Plan Areas. What is a SELPA? https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/as/caselpas.asp Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-05. Ventura County SELPA. Member Districts https://www.vcselpa.org/About-Us/Member-Districts Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-06. VCOE. About the Ventura County Office of Education https://www.vcoe.org/About#:~:text=We%20also%20operate%20sch ools%20that,member%20County%20Board%20of%20Education Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-07. VCOE. Special Education School Sites https://www.vcoe.org/Schools/Special-Education-Schools Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-08. U.S. Department of Education. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Sec. 300.101 Free appropriate public education (FAPE), May 3, 2017 https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/b/300.101 Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-09. Lee, Andrew M.I. The 13 disability categories under IDEA. Understood For All Inc. https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special- services/special-education-basics/conditions-covered-under-idea Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-10. Ed-Data. County Summary. Ventura County http://www.ed- data.org/county/Ventura Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-11. Kids Data. Data by Topic. Special Education Enrollment. Ventura County https://www.kidsdata.org/topic/95/special- education/trend#fmt=244&loc=363&tf=64,124 Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-12. Kids Data. Data by Demographic. All Data: Children with Special Health Care Needs https://www.kidsdata.org/demographic/5/children- with-special-health-care-needs/results#grp=27 Accessed April 23, 2021 12 School Bus Safety for Special Education Students
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CM3 Page 15Ref-13. National Center for Education Statistics. Annual Reports. The Condition of Education. Students With Disabilities https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cgg.asp Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-14. Ventura County SELPA Intra-SELPA Program Chart Self-Contained Special Education Classes (5-18 year olds), March 23, 2018 Ref-15. National Highway Transportation Administration. Transporting Students With Special Needs https://one.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/buses/UpdatedWeb/topic_9/hand out2.html Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-16. National Association of Special Education Teachers. Characteristics of Possible Emotional Disturbance Checklist https://www.naset.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Forms_Checklist_Etc/Id ent_High_Risk/Possible_Emotional_Disturb_Chklst.pdf Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-17. Interviews with relevant persons Ref-18. California Education Code 35160 https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?la wCode=EDC§ionNum=35160 Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-19. VCOE. Special Education. About https://www.vcoe.org/Special- Education/About Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-20. VCOE, Special Education. About. Transportation https://www.vcoe.org/Special-Education/About/Transportation Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-21. VCOE. Special Education https://www.vcoe.org/sped Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-22. Ventura County Office of Education RFB #201807-01 Pupil Transportation Services, December 18, 2017 Ref-23. 5 CCR Section 14103 https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/california/5-CCR-Sec-14103 Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-24. California Highway Patrol. School Bus Program. School Pupil and Farm Labor Transportation Safety Program (aka, School Bus Program) https://www.chp.ca.gov/Programs-Services/Programs/School-Bus- Program Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-25. California Department of Education. Instructor Bulletin 09-29. Frequently Asked Questions and Definitions for Vehicle Code 545(K) and Assembly Bill 830. May 18, 2009 https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/tn/or/bulletin0929.asp Accessed April 23, 2021 School Bus Safety for Special Education Students 13
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CM4 Page 16Ref-26. Contract of Agreement between Ventura United School District and Ventura Education Support Professionals Association July 1, 2018-June 30, 2021 https://www.venturausd.org/Portals/5/2018- 2021%20Contract%20of%20Agreement%20between%20VUSD%20% 26%20VESPA.pdf Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-27. First Student Inc. First Student Awarded Transportation Contract With Ventura County Office of Education, August 9, 2018 https://firststudentinc.com/first-student-awarded-transportation- contract-with-ventura-county-office-of-education/ Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-28. California Education Code Section 40080 https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawC ode=EDC&division=3.&title=2.&part=23.5.&chapter=3.&article= Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-29. 13 CCR 1271 et seq. https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/california/title-13/division- 2/chapter-6-5/article-9 Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-30. California Department of Education. Training Certificate Form T-01 (Rev 1-02) https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/tn/ir/documents/t01.pdf Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-31. Minds in Bloom. Introduction to CHAMPS https://minds-in- bloom.com/introduction-to-champs/ Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-32. VCOE. Curriculum and Instruction. PBIS/CHAMPS https://www.vcoe.org/Curriculum-and-Instruction/PBIS-CHAMPS Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-33. VCOE. Ventura County Office of Education Event Calendar. Scheduled Events https://vcoe.k12oms.org/ Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-34. Ventura County SELPA. Workshops & Events https://www.vcselpa.org/Workshops-Events Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-35. California Department of Education. Instructor’s Manual for California’s Bus Driver’s Training Course. Unit XI Transporting Passengers with Special Needs, July 1, 2004 Ref-36. Hartley, Michael T., et al. Comparative Study of Bullying Victimization Among Students in General and Special Education, January 1, 2015 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0014402914551741 Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-37. Disability Rights California. Bullying & Disability Harassment of Students with Disabilities, February 2016. Pub #5512.01 https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/system/files/file- attachments/551201.pdf Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-38. StopBullying.gov. Disabilities & Special Needs, July 21, 2020 https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/special-needs Accessed April 23, 2021 14 School Bus Safety for Special Education Students
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CM5 Page 17Ref-39. Twyman, Kimberly A. MD, et al. Bullying and Ostracism Experiences in Children with Special Health Care Needs, January 2010 https://journals.lww.com/jrnldbp/Abstract/2010/01000/Bullying_and_ Ostracism_Experiences_in_Children.1.aspx Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-40. Anderson, Connie, PhD. Ian Research Report: Bullying and Children with ASD. Interactive Autism Network, March 26,2012 https://www.iancommunity.org/cs/ian_research_reports/ian_research _report_bullying Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-41. Hwang, Soonjo, MD, et.al. Autism Spectrum Disorder and School Bullying: Who is the Victim? Who is the Perpetrator? National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, January 1, 2019 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5886362/ Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-42. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Data & Statistics on Autism Spectrum Disorder https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-43. Severance, Cristin. Bus Drivers Attacked. KGW8 Portland Oregon https://www.kgw.com/bus-drivers-attacked Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-44. Severance, Cristin. Classrooms in Crisis: Bus drivers are reporting violent student attacks. KGW8 Portland Oregon, August 14, 2019 https://www.kgw.com/article/news/investigations/classrooms-in- crisis/classrooms-in-crisis-bus-drivers-are-reporting-violent-student- attacks/283-37c923a9-4d7c-43c1-bd01-632d3b40573f Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-45. Bella, Rick. Autistic boy’s attack on school bus driver raises safety, disability issues. The Oregonian, January 10, 2019 https://www.oregonlive.com/happy- valley/2012/05/autistic_boys_attack_on_school.html Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-46. WSCO-TV South Carolina. Video shows 4-year-old girl with autism assaulted on Chesterfield Co. school bus, February 8, 2019 https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/video-shows-4-year-old-special- needs-girl-assaulted-on-chesterfield-co-bus/916618492/ Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-47. Lopez, Elwyn. Father says daughter with Down syndrome was physically assaulted on Henry County bus. 11 Alive, Henry County, Georgia, November 22, 2019 https://www.11alive.com/article/news/education/daughter-assaulted- henry-county-school-bus/85-320b9d37-7dc4-45f0-938c-5280ee4cff9f Accessed April 23, 2021 School Bus Safety for Special Education Students 15
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CM6 Page 18Ref-48. Frame, Susannah. School district’s inaction led to attacks on special ed bus in Pierce County. King 5 News, Seattle, Washington, February 9, 2019 https://www.king5.com/article/news/investigations/school- districts-inaction-led-to-attacks-on-special-ed-bus-in-pierce- county/281-ef45da52-93aa-4df5-8d96-d6eba4dc4529 Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-49. California Department of Education. Special Education Transportation Guidelines, June 11, 2020 https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/lr/trnsprtgdlns.asp Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-50. VCOE. Ventura County Office of Education Transportation Policies and Procedures for Special Education Students, July 2018 https://www.vcoe.org/Portals/7/Special- Education/Documents/Transportation%20Policies- %20Procedures%202018%20document.pdf?ver=_- SZzt8FM0ks1rbVUk0qzw%3d%3d Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-51. IDEA. Questions and Answers on Serving Children with Disabilities Eligible for Transportation, November 2009 https://sites.ed.gov/idea/files/OMB_08-0101_Transportation-11-4- 09_FINAL-1.pdf Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-52. Ventura County SELPA. For Families. Families https://www.vcselpa.org/For-Families/Families Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-53. Ventura County SELPA. A Parent Guide to Special Education 2019, pages 39-41 https://www.vcselpa.org/Portals/0/Publications/Parent%20Guide%207 _10_20.pdf?ver=dtqQsT3_zr_aLsEKvAkF0Q%3d%3d Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-54. Kominiak, Todd. Blind Spot: too much bullying on school buses. And what to do about it. TrustEd, January 27, 2017 https://www.k12insight.com/trusted/blind-spot-much-bullying-school- buses/ Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-55. Ventura County SELPA. A Parent Guide to Special Education 2019 https://www.vcselpa.org/Portals/0/Publications/Parent%20Guide%207 _10_20.pdf?ver=dtqQsT3_zr_aLsEKvAkF0Q%3d%3d Accessed April 23, 2021 Ref-56. Grand Jury calculation Ref-57. California Office of Emergency Services. Request for Proposal. Special Needs School Transportation Camera (SN) Program, January 10, 2020 https://www.caloes.ca.gov/GrantsManagementSite/Documents/SN19 %20RFP.pdf Accessed April 23, 2021 16 School Bus Safety for Special Education Students
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CM7 Page 19Ref-58. Cox, Christina. Technology goes the extra mile to make buses safer for students. Moorpark Acorn, December 25,2020 https://www.mpacorn.com/articles/technology-goes-the-extra-mile- to-make-buses-safer-for-students/ Accessed April 23, 2021
No Responses Found 1
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
Ventura County County Superintendent of Schools
Elected County Office