A BILL TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 59-67-520, RELATING TO THE TRANSPORTATION OF HANDICAPPED SCHOOL-AGE PERSONS ON PUBLIC SCHOOL BUSES, SO AS TO PROVIDE A PUBLIC SCHOOL BUS THAT TRANSPORTS ONE OR MORE CERTAIN HANDICAPPED PERSONS MUST HAVE AN ADULT ATTENDANT TO ACCOMPANY THE PERSON OR PERSONS ON THE BUS WHILE BEING TRANSPORTED, TO PROVIDE THE SCHOOL BUS DRIVER MAY NOT SIMULTANEOUSLY SERVE AS AN ATTENDANT, AND TO PROVIDE BUSES MAY HAVE MULTIPLE ATTENDANTS BUT ARE ONLY REQUIRED TO HAVE ONE ATTENDANT.
Summary
H3166 amends South Carolina law governing transportation of school-age students with disabilities. The bill requires that any public school bus transporting one or more handicapped persons who must be mechanically or physically restrained have an adult attendant on board at all times to accompany those students during transport. It also specifies that the bus driver may not serve simultaneously as the required attendant, while allowing multiple attendants if a district chooses to provide them.
The bill leaves intact the existing framework under which the State Department of Education is responsible for transporting handicapped school-age students to and from the nearest assigned school, and for certain reciprocal transportation agreements with facilities serving students of different ages. Its main legal change is to add a staffing requirement for buses carrying restrained special-needs students, creating a clear duty for an adult attendant separate from the driver. The act would take effect upon gubernatorial approval.
Impact
The bill would amend Section 59-67-520 of the South Carolina Code of Laws by imposing a new operational requirement on public school transportation for certain students with disabilities. School districts and the State Department of Education would need to ensure an adult attendant is present whenever a bus carries one or more students who must be mechanically or physically restrained, and they would need to staff those routes so the driver is not also performing attendant duties. The bill does not change eligibility for transportation or the existing reciprocal agreement authority, but it would likely affect staffing, training, and transportation costs for special education routes.
Sentiment
Based on the available context, the bill appears to have a protective, safety-oriented purpose and is framed as a support measure for special needs students. The caption and text suggest a straightforward policy response focused on student supervision during transport, with no recorded committee debate or votes available in the provided materials. Overall, the available context indicates neutral-to-positive sentiment, with the bill presented as a child safety and special education transportation measure rather than a controversial policy change.
Contention
No committee transcripts or vote history were provided, so there is no documented opposition or specific point of contention in the available record. The most likely practical issue is the added staffing requirement, which could raise questions about cost, personnel availability, and implementation for school districts. Another possible point of discussion is whether the requirement should apply only to students who are mechanically or physically restrained, as opposed to all special-needs transportation routes.
Requiring the Kansas state high school activities association to establish a school classification system based on student attendance and a multiplier factor that adjusts certain schools' student attendance.
Requiring the Kansas state high school activities association to establish a school classification system for activities based on student attendance and a multiplier factor that adjusts certain schools' student attendance.
In pupils and attendance, further providing for when provided relating to transportation of pupils and for kinds of transportation and liability insurance; and, in charter schools, further providing for transportation.