Parents and advocates say that students at Overbrook Educational Center, the Philadelphia School District's school for visually impaired children, are often late to school because of irregular bus service. Safety provisions in their special-education plans, which are enforceable by federal law, are often also ignored, the advocates say.
And Ellis Hamiel, whose daughter needed stitches after her bus driver slammed on the brakes, catapulting her forward until she struck her head on a sharp object. The little girl, who is blind, was not seat-belted, though her special-education plan spells out she should be at all times.According to school records kept through Marchand by as much as 3 hours, 10 minutes.
McClellan also flagged a lack of communication — bus drivers or school district personnel often fail to tell parents when buses are running late, often making parents miss work. The issue is especially pressing for Hamiel, whose visually impaired daughter required a trip to the hospital last spring after her bus ride. Hamiel first learned of the incident when he received a photo of his daughter sporting a deep gash on the bus.Eventually, the child required stitches for her wound. The ride and its aftermath frightened her, Hamiel said.Both Hamiel and Dickens are frustrated by how transportation affects their children’s education.
OEC’s principal would also sometimes hop in a school van to pick students up, Hamiel and Dickens said.