Bill to protect students with disabilities on school buses advances in New Jersey Assembly
TRENTON, N.J. — Legislation aimed at improving safety for students with disabilities during school transportation advanced Thursday, clearing the Assembly Education Committee.
The bill, sponsored by Assemblymen Al Barlas and Christopher DePhillips, would establish a task force to study and recommend policies governing transportation for students who receive special education services. The lawmakers said the measure responds to long-standing concerns raised 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,” said Barlas, a Republican from Essex County.
The proposal follows several high-profile incidents involving students with disabilities. 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 in separate school bus incidents after aides and drivers failed to recognize signs of medical distress. In 2022, 16-year-old Landon Goff of Cape May County, who had Rett syndrome, died after experiencing a medical emergency while riding a school bus. More recently, the parents of a 14-year-old girl with autism alleged their daughter was sexually assaulted while being transported to a special needs school in Passaic County when 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,” said DePhillips, a Republican from Bergen County.
Under the bill, known as A4607, a 23-member Special Education Transportation Task Force would be created to review best practices in other states, examine current school transportation policies and identify safety concerns. The task force would also evaluate access to necessary medical equipment, communication with parents and guardians, staffing levels, and certification requirements for bus drivers, aides and school nurses who transport students receiving special education services.
The task force would be required to issue a report with recommendations to the governor and Legislature within one year.
According to the state’s ombudsman for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities, nearly 1,800 student transportation vendors operate in New Jersey and are responsible for transporting many of the approximately 8,500 students with significant disabilities who attend out-of-district schools. Lawmakers said small companies with limited oversight are often awarded 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.
