[blindkid] Fw: [BVI-Parents] Fw: Winona, bus

[Debby B]

Sorry, I meant to clean this up before sending it. This should be easier to read. I even put it order so you don't have to read backwards!
Thanks! Debby

       Any suggestions how
how best to fight this? I was under the impression that once we hit
high school, with the neighborhood school a bus aide would no longer be
an issue. Obviously I was wrong. 

A tad of background: on April 2 the 7th graders went on a field trip.
The driver with Winona refused to go without an aide, and the 2 classes
were 45 minutes late because of it. In the previous 6 years we have
never had an aide on any school trip, any band trip, etc. Now they
inform me there will be. Winona was totally humiliated and embarrassed,
as was her brother, who happened to be in the same bus.

We've never wanted an aide, have fought it each year, and have been
told each year that it is because we are out of area and on a special
bus. We didn't fight the clustering because this is the better school,
we even transferred our son there as well. "We'll fight you on the
school if you don't let him also attend."

Our IEP is next week.
Thanks!! Debby

from us to school:
We do not want an aide at any time on any bus. Winona is perfectly capable of getting in and
out of a school bus by herself. She's perfectly capable of fastening her own
seat belt.

My immediate concern is doing what needs to be done to ensure there is NO AIDE
on the bus next week, or on any other trip the kids go on THIS year. This child
has suffered enough embarrassment. 

From the school:
The aide to and from school is there in
case of an emergency.  If there were to be a wreck or a fire on the bus,
the driver’s responsibility is to get all students off of the bus. 
It would be helpful if an aide was on the bus to help her.  I will talk
with our program specialist to see if we can do this.  Because there will
be other adults on the bus for the field trips, we can ask that the bus aide be
suspended for those trips.  But I will need clarification from the program
specialist to totally do away with an aide.