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Mother wants CMS to have special transportation for son with autism

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The mother of a teenager in a Charlotte Mecklenburg School wants answers after her son was involved in a school bus accident on North Davidson Street Wednesday morning.

[ALSO READ: State inspection details several problems with CMS buses]

Bridget Fredericks said her 13-year-old son, Jackson, has autism.

After an encounter with his bus driver left Jackson agitated, Fredericks said he hit the driver over the head with a water bottle moments after they pulled away. That caused the driver to slam on brakes and Jack was thrown into the windshield.

“I heard sirens and I actually thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I hope that’s not Jack,’ and then the banging on the door and it’s the police officer,” Fredericks recalled. “He was loaded up in the ambulance with the neck brace on him. I ran over to the bus driver and checked on her and she looked very shaken, understandably.”

One day later, Fredericks said Jack and the driver were OK.

Now, she said she wants the school system to give Jack specialized transportation, which is something separate from a regular bus, to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

“Our issue with this is that we have been asking the school for over a year now for specialized transportation,” Fredericks said. “They said the special needs bus was only for kids who are in a wheelchair, deaf, blind or couldn’t talk, kids with physical occupational disabilities. Just because you can’t see a disability with him, doesn’t mean he isn’t impacted daily.”

Fredericks said Jackson had it in his previous school system in South Carolina and now, she can’t understand why CMS won’t give him the same service. She claimed it was included in his Individualized Education Plan that was transferred to CMS when he moved last school year. She added that the school has all of Jackson’s diagnoses and necessary records.

In August, Fredericks said a CMS employee told her Jack would get special transportation this school year on a regular bus with an attendant.

“There’s no attendant on the regular bus,” Fredericks said.

Fredericks said she has spoken to Carmel Middle School’s principal who explained the school will accommodate Jackson’s special transportation request within four to five days once they hire an attendant. She just hopes the school follows through.

“He shouldn’t have to wait at all,” Fredericks said. “You have laws in place for this. The system has a responsibility to meet the needs of their kids disabled or not, regardless, whether or not they have the resources.”

We asked CMS for information related to the accident and to Fredericks requests. The system responded in a statement that reads:

“Safety for both students and staff is a top priority for CMS transportation. A video camera inside of the school bus shows the driver took all necessary precautions to maintain control of the bus to prevent harm or danger to others during the incident. No other students were injured.

Federal student privacy laws prohibit the district from sharing any video from inside of the school bus because it includes pictures of students.

The district would not be able to provide any student information to include enrollment, medical conditions, IEP or the parent’s involvement regarding their child.

Parents, who have questions regarding their student, should work with school leadership to address their concerns. Schools have various resources and designated staff such as a parent liaison to assist.

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