Best Practices – Special Education Transportation in Rural Areas

Covering 3,850 square miles, Shasta County consists of 25 school districts serving 28,908 K-12 students.  The Shasta County Office of Education (SCOE) is under contract to provide bus services to districts; the program is funded by the state and charge-backs to districts.  The district charge-backs are calculated on a per mile or per student basis. 

What makes this program unique is the level of involvement of the transportation staff in the decisions of transporting special education students.  A representative of the transportation staff is part of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team and helps determine the best method of access to each child’s program.  The involvement of the transportation staff in IEPs has led to increased communication between departments, improved school, parent and community relationships and, in some cases, a reduction in costs.  The SCOE drivers are also specially trained in many health care issues to better serve students with special needs.

If your County Office of Education does not provide a service similar to Shasta County’s, your district may consider pooling its resources to utilize a common provider for all of the district’s special education transportation needs. 

For more information on the Shasta County Office of Education’s Special Education Transportation Program, please contact Evie Lechleiter, Transportation Director at the Shasta County Office of Education at elechleiter@shastacoe.org.