It is inhumane that school bus companies with the Office of Pupil Transportation contracted through the NYC Department of Education for public school students, particularly District 75, continue to transport our students with disabilities during the summer months in New York City with insufficient air conditioning or no air conditioning at all especially during a heat wave especially when NYC Department of Education School Administrative Code states:
§ 19–605 Air-conditioning.
a. Any bus or other motor vehicle transporting a child with a disability to and from a school in the city pursuant to any agreement or contract shall be air-conditioned when the ambient outside temperature exceeds seventy degrees Fahrenheit. Drivers of all such vehicles shall utilize such air conditioning systems in order to make the internal climate of such vehicles comfortable to passengers in order to protect or enhance the health of children with disabilities. Any failure, mechanical or otherwise, of an air-conditioning system required by this section shall be repaired and restored to operable condition as soon as is practicable, but in no event more than three business days subsequent to the failure. For purposes of this section, "child with a disability" shall mean a child with a disability as defined in section 4401(1) of the education law who requires an air-conditioned environment for health reasons.
b. The penalty provisions set forth in section 19–607 of this chapter shall not apply to any violation of the provisions of this section. Any owner, operator or contractor responsible for transporting a child with a disability to and from a school in the city pursuant to any agreement or contract shall be liable for a civil penalty of four hundred dollars for each violation of this section.
The school bus companies always find a way to weave their way around the problem and it is time to fix the root of the problem, which is to either place or replace air conditioning units on all school buses with dual air conditioning for summer school students with disabilities. Air conditioning should NOT be an accommodation to our special needs students, but a requirement.
With your help, the goal is to gather as many signatures as I can and submit the petition to Senator Gillibrand in hopes that she can help the special needs community finally receive this change. Thank you in advance for your support!