We have failed with trying to get my daughter a later pickup time with MCPS for her nonpublic school. The bus transportation refused. We now drive both ways. My husband has ability to telework 4 days a week so we work at a library nearby. It stinks actually but we get her there everyday and it was a disaster on the bus.

Maybe you can drive her one way and she takes the bus one way. That will reduce her discomfort by 50%. Also, why is she sitting at the back of the bus?

I had to quit my job and drive her. 35 minutes in my car vs 2 hours on a bus

Hi, OP. This can be really tough. One of my kids has a health issue that makes the bus hard sometimes, and there aren't many solutions within MCPS transportation. I shifted my work schedule so I could drive in the morning, cutting the bus time and keeping my DC fresh for the school day (if someone suggested this already, apologies for not reading closely). We also got my student good headphones and music.

Growing up a little and gaining some resilience helped, but it's a hard ask. Best of luck!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am brain storming with you -
Can she get an seat cushion?
Would requesting a child safety seat help?

Thank you. Yes I’ve thought of these things, but she’s not open to them which makes it hard! She also sits in the back.

Well that’s going to make the bumpy ride worse. Can she be assigned a seat up front.

Can you request that she is assigned a seat at the front of the bus so that it is not an option? I know some kids need routine and there is some magic that goes into pick-ups and transportation.
Can you incentivize her to try the cushion? If she uses it for 5 days she gets something?

You know your child and clearly trying things to make the situation better. Good luck

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am brain storming with you -
Can she get an seat cushion?
Would requesting a child safety seat help?

Thank you. Yes I’ve thought of these things, but she’s not open to them which makes it hard! She also sits in the back.

Well that’s going to make the bumpy ride worse. Can she be assigned a seat up front.

Anonymous wrote:As it’s only 30 extra minutes over the direct route, that’s pretty amazing. I’m not sure there’s really more you can ask about for the ride. However, there are things you can consider for on the bus. Does she need a good pair of noise canceling headphones, does she need to dot in the front? Does she need an iPad to keep her distracted and regulated? These are things more likely to be approved that you might want to consider.

I was going to jump on and also suggest noise cancelling earphones.

Also based on your post about how you have to drive slow because of bumps, that doesn’t sound like a resolvable issue.

Contact her MCPS case manager and office of transportation to express your concerns. Put it in writing but also call. You note that she is "very dysregulated" when she gets to school. Is this something that is documented somewhere - that she has sensory sensitivities and how they impact her? I worked with a family whose child was getting to school late AND they were dysregulated when they arrived. We asked the school to document the amount of time and the steps necessary in order for the child to be ready to access instruction. When we showed the data to the school system they agreed that the bus ride was impacting access to curriculum and started providing private transport. Perhaps you can do something similar and then request a meeting to revise the IEP. Note that due to documented sensory sensitivities and the amount of time she is dysregulated she requires private transportation.

Anonymous wrote:I am brain storming with you -
Can she get an seat cushion?
Would requesting a child safety seat help?

Thank you. Yes I’ve thought of these things, but she’s not open to them which makes it hard! She also sits in the back.