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School Transport Assistance Programs for Students with Disabilities

--- Current Procedure ---

Version Number

5.0

Implementation Date

14/07/2014

Scope

Department-wide

Purpose

This procedure sets out the processes involved in assessing eligibility, arranging, reviewing and cancelling appropriate transport assistance for Queensland students with disabilities between their home and school.​

Overview

​The Department of Education and Training (DET) offers available school transport assistance between home and school at the start and end of the student’s school day.​

Eligibility criteria assesses where the students’ disability meets the procedure definition and the impact of the students’ disability necessitates assistance.

Transport assistance types include:

  • Conveyance – an allowance paid directly to parents or carers for the private conveyance of eligible students between home and school 
  • Category 1 – public transport passes (bus, rail or ferry)
  • Category 2 – contracted minibus or taxi.

Responsibilities

Parents or carers are responsible for making suitable travel arrangements for their child between home and school and meeting their commitments outlined in this procedure.

School officers are responsible for implementing this procedure within stated timeframes and collaborating with relevant stakeholders.

Regional Officers are responsible for transport assistance decision making; supporting school officers and collaborating with relevant stakeholders.

Central Officers are responsible for meeting departmental and government objectives in school transport related matters and facilitating resolutions of transport issues.

Process

​

Applications for school transport assistance may be initiated by parents, carers or schools, where the student is a person who is attending a state school and has a disability that necessitates transport to or from the school by a means that takes account of the disability.

The online (OneSchool) application, review and cancellation process generates email notifications to the relevant school, regional and central DET officers where actions are required.

Where OneSchool is not available and a student requires urgent action to a new or existing transport arrangement, an Alternate Transport Process (DET employees only)is available. Transport assessors download the appropriate form for completion.

Eligibility Assessment

Parents or carers

  • read the Parent Carer Transport Program Overview
  • provide relevant information to the transport assessor to assess eligibility
  • an application may still be requested where the assessor identifies eligibility has not been met.

School Transport Assessors:

  • assess student information with the transport assistance criteria
  • request a new distance check (DET employees only) where one is not saved in OneSchool
  • consult with, Principal Education Officers, Student Services (PEOSS) where exceptional circumstances may exist for consideration
  • consult with the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) where challenges to transport may require problem solving such as cost, time and availability of services.

Principal Education Officer, Student Services (PEOSS) provide advice to schools, parents or carers regarding the transport procedure particularly in regard to exceptional circumstances or where a student is identified as meeting Criteria 1 as non-EAP verified.

Links

Application

Parents or carers

  • work with the transport assessor to complete an application
  • inform the transport assessor where any challenges in meeting their responsibilities may occur
  • provide or update relevant information in relation to the Transport Assistance Types
  • complete and return the signed Parent Carer Declaration section on the printed application (supplied by the transport assessor).

School Transport Assessors

For Temporary Residential Accommodation (TRA) applications when eligibility for assistance through this procedure has been assessed, the completed T4 form (DET employees only) is sent to the Principal. 

All other applications are submitted online within the student’s OneSchool Transport record. Step by step instructions are available in the OneSchool AIMS Guide (DET employees only accessed via OneSchool Home Screen: Help > Support and Training > Student Management (OneSchool Support Wizard screen)> AIMS> One School AIMS Guide).

For new applications complete the following steps:

Step 1 - record the outcome of the student’s eligibility assessment.

Where eligibility is:

  • not met, the recommendation is Not Eligible. Go to Step 4;
  • met and the student is to be privately conveyed every trip, the recommendation is Conveyance. The relevant conveyance information is completed to enable TMR to make direct payments to the parent or carer. Go to Step 3;
  • met and the student is not privately conveyed every trip, go to Step 2.

Step 2 - recommend the most appropriate transport type options by:

  • determining the student’s current capability (rating levels 1-6) for safe, independent travel considering the required  journey between home and school. The transport type options for the capability rating levels are:

Where the identified option category conditions are not met the student remains eligible for Conveyance.

Step 3 - record the relevant arrangement details for the recommended transport type or types.

Step 4 - provide a copy of the draft application for the parent or carer to sign.

Step 5 - attach a copy of the signed parent or carer section to the application.

Step 6 - submit the application for regional decision making.

Links 

Decision Making

Principals 

  • Make a decision to approve or not approve a T4 application
  • Considers the recommendation of the transport assessor
  • Arranges for approved T4 applications to be sent to the appropriate regional Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) office.

Principal Advisor, Education Services (PAES) or delegate

  • Consider the transport assessors recommendations
  • Make a decision (DET employees only) to approve or not approve the transport application 
  • Ensure approved application documents are sent to TMR for the arrangement of approved student transport assistance
  • Advise the parents and carers of the outcome using either of the below letter templates:
  • Approve transport applications received by TMR where procedure conditions (cost, time, multiple addresses) are exceeded require confirmation (if not yet received) before transport will be arranged. 

Links

Review

School Transport Assessor

Schedule the annual review (DET employees only) of approved transport applications across the school year to minimize staff workload.

Inform parents or carers when the review is scheduled to ensure their availability.

When notified of changes to student’s circumstances:

  • assess if this change requires a review of  the student’s approved transport assistance
  • inform the parents or carers where a review is required and if there may be a possible change to the student’s eligibility or the current approved transport arrangements.

Amend the student’s current approved transport record in OneSchool as an Amendment to Transport Assistance(DET employees only - link to accessed via OneSchool Home Screen: Help > Support and Training > Student Management (OneSchool Support Wizard screen)> AIMS> One School AIMS Guide) making the required changes following the Steps 1-6 listed in the new application process above.

Students transferring between state schools require new transport applications.

Links

Cancellation

School Transport Assessors

Make the required changes to the OneSchool (DET employees only - link to accessed via OneSchool Home Screen: Help > Support and Training > Student Management (OneSchool Support Wizard screen)> AIMS> One School AIMS Guide) transport record.

Cancellations can be:

  • Temporary – student is or has been absent for 5 or more school days
  • Permanent – student has left the school; is no longer eligible or no longer required.

Selecting a OneSchool cancellation report automatically generates an email to TMR cancelling the students transport arrangement.

For cancellation of approved TRA’s, complete the Transport Assistance Cancellation​ (DET employees only) form.

Appeal

Transport Appeal Process outlines how the department will assess an appeal.  

Parents or Carers

May appeal within 10 working days from the date on the Approved /Not Approved Transport Assistance letter against the transport assistance decision for their child.

The submission may be made orally or in writing and should be supported with relevant documentation.

Principal Advisor, Education Services (PAES) or delegate:

Liaises with parents or carers as per the Transport Appeal Process. 

Provides advice to the Assistant Regional Director (ARD) regarding appeal submissions as required.

Assistant Regional Director (ARD)

  • seeks advice from the Manager, Facilities Support Services Unit in individual cases where an appeal has been lodged 
  • decides on appeal submissions from parents and carers within 10 working days from the date the submission was received at the regional office
  • advises parents or carers of the outcome of appeal submissions by ARD Transport Appeal letter (DET employees only)

Assistant Regional Director decisions are final.

Links

Online Resources

​Forms

Letters for Parents or Carers 

Supporting documents (PPR)

Online assessor support materials

Review Date

14/07/2015
Attribution CC BY

DDA

Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Commonwealth).

Disability

The DDA definition of disability includes physical, intellectual, psychiatric, sensory, neurological, and learning disabilities, as well as physical disfigurements, and the presence of disease-causing organisms in the body. The definition includes past, present and future disabilities as well as imputed disabilities and covers behaviour that is a symptom or manifestation of the disability. 

Distance Check

A record of the distance between a student’s residential or pickup/drop off address and school by the shortest trafficable route. The mapping software draws upon information in the Directory of Special Education Programs in Queensland State Schools.

Education Adjustment Program (EAP)

The Education Adjustment Program (EAP) is the Department of Education and Training's process for identifying and responding to the educational needs of students with disability (from Prep-Year 12) who require significant education adjustments related to the specific impairment areas of:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder 
  • Hearing Impairment 
  • Intellectual Disability 
  • Physical Impairment 
  • Speech-Language Impairment 
  • Vision Impairment. 

Students who meet criteria for one or more of the six EAP categories are referred to as verified.

Early Childhood Development Program/Service

Early Childhood Development Programs/Services (ECDP) (DET employees only) provide targeted programs and services for children (from Birth to Pre-Prep age) with a suspected or diagnosed disability and significant education support needs  prior to their enrolment in Prep. 

ECDP’s may be hosted by primary, secondary or special schools.

Independent travel

The student can, without supervision, successfully travel between home and school on any public transport services including changes of trains, buses and/or ferries.

Prep age

To be eligible for Prep, children must be five years of age by 30 June in the year they intend to commence Prep. 

Students with Disability 

A child aged birth to Prep attending an approved ECDP or a state school student (Prep to Year 12) who meets the definition of disability under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Commonwealth).

School Transport Assessor 

A registered teacher who is trained in the assessment procedures for the School Transport Assistance Program for Students with Disabilities. This role is referred to as the transport assessor.

Temporary Residential Accommodation

Short-term accommodation for a student with a disability provides families funded respite from caring for their children. Respite may be centre-based or home-based. This service is available for students with a disability meeting the criteria outlined for respite care by the Queensland Government.

Individual Escorts

An adult aged 18 years or over who meets the working with children requirements and has the necessary skills to support the identified medical, safety or travel training needs of the approved student. The person is identified through relevant stakeholder networks and could be any of the following: a family member or person known to the student, community volunteer, person employed by the school as a teacher aide to act in the role. It may be a volunteer or paid teacher aide position.

 
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