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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 310-03
October 29, 2003

MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG SIGNS LEGISLATION PROVIDING AIR-CONDITIONED BUSES FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS

Remarks by Mayor Bloomberg at a Public Hearing on Local Law

“The next bill before me today is Introductory Number 262-A, sponsored by Council Members Monserrate, Addabbo, Baez, Barron, Clarke, Jackson, Jennings, Liu, Lopez, Martinez, McMahon, Nelson, Reyna, Rivera, Sanders, Seabrook, Stewart, Vallone, Vann, Weprin, Avella and Gennaro and also Council Members Gerson, and Perkins.  This legislation further codifies as City law the responsibility of the Department of Education to provide air-conditioned school buses for special education students whose Individualized Education Programs (IEP) require it for health reasons.
 
“Currently, the Department provides air-conditioned buses for students deemed eligible through their IEP.  If the IEP team, composed of parents and school administrators, determines, through a comprehensive review process, that students need additional accommodations, such as air-conditioning on the bus to and from school, that need will be specified in the IEP.  The Office of Pupil Transportation Services obtains this information and takes the appropriate action to ensure that the students receive the required services.  The Office of Pupil Transportation Services then develops an air-conditioned route for each affected student, and the air-conditioning requirement is listed with the route when the bus contractors select it.
 
“In June of this year, the DOE transported 58,175 special education students. Of those, 1,014 were required to be transported in air-conditioned buses.  Because routes cannot be developed exclusively for students requiring air-conditioned environments, the DOE provided air-conditioned transportation to over 6,700 students.”







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