New Jersey creates task force to review special education student transportation safety
TRENTON, N.J. — A bill creating a task force to study and recommend transportation policies for students who receive special education services was signed into law Tuesday, sponsors Assemblymen Al Barlas and Christopher DePhillips said, citing a series of high-profile incidents that advocates say exposed gaps in safety and oversight.
“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.
The lawmakers pointed to multiple deaths in recent years involving students with complex medical needs. In 2023, 6-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 incidents on school buses after aides and drivers missed signs of distress, according to the statement. In 2022, a 16-year-old Cape May County student with Rett syndrome, Landon Goff, died after suffering a medical emergency while riding a bus, the lawmakers said. More recently, parents of a 14-year-old girl with autism said their daughter was sexually assaulted on the way to a special needs school in Passaic County after no adult intervened, according to the statement.
“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 this law,” DePhillips (R-Bergen) said.
Under the law, A4607/S3447, a 23-member Special Education Transportation Task Force must convene within 90 days to begin developing recommendations aimed at preventing and responding to medical and behavioral emergencies on buses. The group is tasked with reviewing best practices in other states, examining current policies, identifying safety concerns, considering parent or guardian communication, and evaluating staffing needs, according to the bill sponsors.
The task force 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 must issue a report to the governor and Legislature within a year, the lawmakers said.
The sponsors cited concerns about the structure of student transportation services statewide, saying nearly 1,800 student transportation vendors operate in New Jersey and are responsible for transporting many of the roughly 8,500 students with significant disabilities who attend out-of-district schools, as cited by the state’s ombudsman for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. They said smaller companies with questionable credentials and 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.
