Bill Protecting Students With Disabilities On School Buses Clears Education Committee

TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblymen Al Barlas and Christopher DePhillips’ bill creating a task force to study and recommend transportation policies for students who receive special education services in schools cleared the Assembly Education Committee on Thursday. The lawmakers say it is an important step forward in advancing the protections called for by parents of children with complex medical conditions and disability advocates.

“Several tragic and preventable incidents involving vulnerable children with disabilities on school buses have underscored the need for reforms that will put the safety of New Jersey kids first. No student on their way to or from school should be harmed because of a lack of training, communication or accountability,” Barlas (R-Essex) said.

In 2023, six-year-old Fajr Atiya Williams, who had a rare genetic condition, and 19-year-old Matthew Rossi, who had muscular dystrophy and autism, died on a school bus in separate incidents while aides and drivers missed signs of distress. In 2022, a 16-year-old Cape May County student with Rett syndrome, Landon Goff, died after experiencing a medical emergency while riding the bus. Most recently, parents of a 14-year-old girl with autism say their daughter was sexually assaulted on the way to a special needs school in Passaic County after no adult intervened.

“Parents of children with special needs place a tremendous amount of trust in the school district, the bus aides and the drivers to transport their children safely to school. Unfortunately, a routine that should be reliable and commonplace has become a source of fear for many parents for good reason. It needs to be fixed and that starts with our bill,” DePhillips (R-Bergen) said.

Under the bill, the 23-member Special Education Transportation Task Force will review best practices in other states, examine current school transportation policies, and identify areas of concern related to safety, access to necessary equipment, communication with parents or guardians, and staffing needs. They will also study and make recommendations on certification requirements for school bus drivers, school bus aides, and school nurses who transport students receiving special education and related services and issue a report within a year to the governor and Legislature.

There are nearly 1,800 student transportation vendors operating in New Jersey that are responsible for the safety of many of the approximately 8,500 students with significant disabilities attending out-of-district schools, according to the state's ombudsman for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Small companies with questionable credentials and little, if any, oversight, are often being awarded the transportation contracts.

“Every school vehicle and bus transporting children with disabilities must fully and safely support their needs. Kids of all abilities deserve the rightful opportunity to be a part of a school community where they can participate and learn; and safe transportation is the foundation to that fair and accessible education,” Barlas and DePhillips said.

The Senate unanimously passed the bill (S3447) in March.