Brooklyn Family's Struggle with Unreliable School Bus Service for Developmentally Disabled Child

Extended School Bus Commutes

• 🚌 A Brooklyn family is seeking answers regarding unreliable school bus service for their developmentally delayed child.
• ⏰ The daily commute to and from school reportedly takes four to five hours, significantly impacting the child and family.

Child's Specific Needs and IEP

• 🧠 The child, Antonio Fozzy, has ADHD, anxiety, and dyslexia and is enrolled in an IEP (Individualized Education Program) at the Sterling School.
• ⚠️ His IEP specifies he should not be on the bus with more than five children to alleviate travel time, a guideline his parents claim is not being followed.
• 📚 Parents state that late arrivals due to the bus cause him to miss crucial one-on-one literacy instruction.

Communication and Complaint Process

• 📧 The family has filed numerous complaints with the Department of Education (DOE) office of pupil transportation and the city council education chair over two years.
• 🚫 Despite multiple incident reports and communications, they feel nothing has been done to address the issue.
• 📞 The DOE acknowledges the report and states they are investigating, suggesting families use their call center, but the family has already exhausted these channels.

Bus Company and External Contacts

• 🤐 A representative from the bus company, Y&M Transit, declined to comment.
• 📰 The city council education chair did not respond to requests for comment before the newscast.

Impact on Family Schedule

• 🗓️ The unreliable service forces the family to constantly adjust their personal schedules.
• 💼 The father, a firefighter, has had to decline overtime opportunities due to the unpredictable drop-off and pick-up times.