District to train special-ed students to use Metro
D.C. Public Schools and other city education leaders are identifying students who could be trained to take public transportation to school. The plan is designed to help reduce the $26,000-per-student annual cost of transporting them by school bus.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — D.C. Public Schools and other city education leaders are identifying special-education students who could be trained to take the Metro to school in an effort to reduce the $26,000-per-student annual cost of transporting them by school bus, The Washington Examiner reports.
The district spends approximately $92 million to bus 3,500 special-education students to school. Each school bus has an average of 5.5 students per route, and most buses can run only one route each morning and afternoon.
If a student is deemed an appropriate candidate to ride public transit, he or she is led through the route by an aide. Later, the aide or a parent will shadow the student to ensure that he or she travels safely.
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