After an impassioned plea by the parent of a special needs child, the Lamar County School District’s Board of Trustees voted Monday night to stop transporting children to Arc facilities for afterschool care during the 2018-19 school year.
The board met at the Purvis High School library with several families in the audience affected by the decision. Parent Stacy Williams addressed the board before the vote, saying that the transportation is critical for her child’s welfare.
“The transportation is a resource that allows these children to transition from one educational environment to another,” she said. “Those children with learning disabilities need many opportunities to practice the skills that they are taught. The Arc is the world’s largest community-based organization of and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
Williams said the families were there to support their children.
“The lack of transportation is a barrier to the parents and the children because it limits the opportunity for this community resource,” she said. “Children with learning disabilities and ADHD are prone to depression. Their sense of defeat and failure is contagious, and sometimes the whole family feels their helplessness and despair.”
Board President Jeremy Chance said he understand the dilemma that the families faced.
“I don’t think anyone can dispute what Arc does for the kids in our community,” he said. “By definition, it is an afterschool program. So, I guess the question we have as a board and the reason we are even here at all is whether we can afford to transport kids from one school to an afterschool program and not offer the same opportunities to other schools in the district.”
The board voted unanimously to discontinue the transportation to Arc and also not to allow Arc to use a bus to transport the students.
However, the School Board unanimously approved allowing Arc to use handicapped-accessible buses during the summer program June 6-July 6. Arc will be charged 93 cents a mile for the service.
