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Parents speak out against school board's decision to end special transportation

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Susan Moore has had difficulty explaining to her son, Tim, why he suddenly can't ride to school in a Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) van.

"He still apologizes to me on a regular basis," said Moore outside her Barrie home, saying he says, "I'm sorry about the van, mom."

Tim lives with autism and is in his final year of high school at Innisdale Secondary in Barrie.

Moore has been riding the city bus with her son or driving him to school when able to do so.

She said her family has had to change work schedules to ensure her 20-year-old son safely makes it to school and home.

The SCDSB recently decided to end special transportation for students, like Tim, with special needs who live within the board's designated walking zones.

"They gave us basically two weeks' notice saying that on December 1, we're no longer eligible for the transportation that he'd been taking for five and a half years," she said.

For high school students like Tim, the walking zone is 3.2 kilometres.

The elementary school's walking distance is 1.6 kilometres.

Students beyond the limit are not provided transportation as per the board's policy.

Tim has been transported by the school board's specialized van service for the entirety of his high school education.

He is one of about 50 students in the public board encouraged to walk, take the yellow bus or public transportation to school.

The board confirms it has a $2 million transportation deficit but said money wasn't the main factor in the decision, which was part of the board's annual review of transportation walking zones.

The board's chairperson Jodi Lloyd told CTV News last week it wants to encourage student independence, adding it is not mandatory for SCDSB to provide transportation to all students.

"Now we're on a school bus with no seatbelts, no harness, no other staff to support with a bus full of other students. It's very concerning," said Kelly Martin, president of OPSEU Local 330.

Martin represents about 2,000 support staff, including those who work directly with children with special needs.

Martin says the board's decision has already led to unsafe situations for students and staff and presents an increased risk of violence and aggression toward students and those tasked with caring for them.

"Recently, I heard a report from one of my members that the bus had to pull over on the side of the road and wait for the parent and school to come because the student was so escalated on a bus full of mainstream students," said Martin who is calling for the board to reconsider its decision midway through the school year.

"It's unsafe. It's not supporting success for the students with exceptionalities."

Susan Moore, meanwhile, said the City of Barrie has offered Tim a ride on an accessible transportation vehicle through its Barrie Accessible Community Transportation Service (BACTS) until the end of March on compassionate grounds as he completes his final year of high school.

While the Moore family adjusts to life without school van transportation, other families with children who have special needs are choosing to learn from home.

Brendan Drodge said his 11-year-old son Wyatt had his van service stopped this week.

Wyatt has been struggling, he said, with the idea of riding on a big bus with other students.

"It can't continue. Frankly, the disruption he's had already is unacceptable. He wants to get back to school but is very anxious about having to ride the regular bus. He asks about it constantly, and if he's forced to ride the bus, it will have a profound negative effect on his school day," Drodge said.

Drodge said an offer by the board to extend van transportation for six weeks isn't good enough.

"His disabilities aren't going to disappear in six weeks. His challenges with the bus aren't going to disappear in six weeks," he said.

"Decisions like this that impact the children and their family so much, at the very least, should have parental input," argued Drodge.

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