ADAMS TWP — Mars Area School District is compliant with all state busing requirements, according to superintendent Wesley Shipley.

Shipley announced at the Dec. 3 board meeting that district solicitor Tom King was asked to review district bus policies after local mother Julia Konitzky approached the board with concerns in November.

Konitzky has two children with individualized education programs. One of them uses district transportation to get to school.

“We made the promise based on some comments that Mrs. Konitzky made,” Shipley said. “We received a reply that we're in complete compliance.”

King confirmed that all transportation policies were reviewed at the board's request.

“That doesn't necessarily mean best practice,” Konitzky said.

Konitzky said she wanted to know specifically about the policies as they pertain to students with disabilities.

Konitzky told the board Pennsylvania has guidelines specific to transporting that student demographic.

“That's what I want to talk about,” Konitzky said. “Going above and beyond what we have and making it — in writing — that we require certain things because we strive for excellence.”

Providing an example for the board, Konitzky suggested having bus drivers who transport students with disabilities participate in student IEP meetings.

Drivers who work for A.J. Myers and Sons Inc. — which the district contracts for bus service — haven't been asked to attend IEP meetings, according to Konitzky.

“I've actually had several people private message me,” Konitzky said. “They were never given, ahead of time, any information about my son.”

King told Konitzky she had a “legitimate concern” regarding drivers' availability for IEP meetings.

“What I'm reporting on is whether that's required or not,” King said. “It's not required.”

King said because drivers are employed directly by A.J. Myers and Sons Inc., they aren't technically district employees.

“Those are not our employees, so the law says that they're not mandated to be there,” King said.

He told Konitzky he agreed that drivers should be part of IEP meetings if there's a “significant concern” about the transportation of a student.

The district would need to require the driver to be present at the meeting for their participation to be enforceable, according to King.

“It's a case-by-case request from the parent or from the teachers,” King said.

King added that the board could also adopt a policy mandating driver attendance.

“And they should,” Konitzky said. “This is a big deal.”

Konitzky told the board she asked to have her child's driver present during an IEP meeting.

The driver didn't attend the first meeting and the bus company might not have been notified about the rescheduled one, according to Konitzky.

“There is a breakdown,” Konitzky said.

Konitzky asked the board to consider defining transportation policies that pertain to students with disabilities.

“What if there's an emergency?” Konitzky asked. “Can we look at this policy and detail it?”

“You make a good point,” Shipley said. “It's more than just being compliant. We want to be better than that.”

Shipley said the district will look into the situation.

The Eagle made a call to A.J. Myers and Sons Inc. regarding the situation.

The person who answered the phone for the bus company hung up after telling the Eagle “no comment.”