CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati mother reached out to me after her non-verbal son with autism was denied a ride home from school, leaving him stranded for nearly two hours.
Kelly Morris said her trust in Cincinnati Public Schools' transportation provider is broken after the incident involving her second-grade son, Lovelle Gentry, at Covedale Elementary School.
"They need to get a new contract with a different transportation company because I literally do not trust them," said Morris.
The incident occurred during just the second week of classes when the same Universal Transportation (UTS) bus that picked up Lovelle that morning refused to take him home.
"My mom started calling my other phone. I'm like, yeah, I'm on the porch. She was like, 'No, you have to go get your son. He's left at school,'" said Morris. "The driver stopped him, told him that he's not allowed or he's not on a list to return."
Cincinnati mom demands answers after failed transportation reliability for autistic son:
Morris noted that her son's Individualized Education Program (IEP) guarantees transportation.
"This failure is a direct violation of Ohio law and your own district's policies. As a child with an Individualized Education Program (IEP), my son is entitled to transportation as a 'related service' under Ohio Revised Code 3323.01(J) and Ohio Administrative Code 3301-51-10," said Morris. "These laws explicitly state that transportation must be provided to a child with disabilities when it is required for them to benefit from their special education program."
The transportation issues continued the following day when no bus arrived to take Lovelle to school. Morris says the situation only changed after she made a public post on social media that caught the attention of CPS Board President Dr. Kareem Moffet.
"She has been reaching out to me, but the people that supposed to be are not," said Morris.
When I visited Morris this week to check on the situation, she expressed ongoing concerns despite some communication from the district.
"I'm uncertain about if this is the driver all the time, are cameras on the bus, what else are you going to do to make sure this is right?" said Morris.
Morris said she's worked in transportation for 15 years before retiring for her son. She's an advocate for children with autism and says these changes can be puzzling for an autistic child.
We waited with Morris for Lovelle's van, which was scheduled to arrive at 2:20 p.m. While waiting, I received a response from the district regarding my inquiry about Morris's concerns.
In an email, the Cincinnati Public School District stated:
"We are aware of the concerns raised by a parent; the district addressed the matter directly, and responded to the parent. To protect student and family privacy, we will not share additional details. Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) is committed to ensuring every student has a safe, reliable trip to and from school each day. We actively monitor transportation operations and work closely with our partners to resolve issues in real time. If families experience a delay or have a concern, they should contact the CPS Customer Care Center at 513-363-0123 for support. We will continue to share updates through official CPS channels as needed."
Morris, however, feels she still hasn't received adequate communication from district officials. Lovelle's van finally arrived at 2:43 p.m. — 33 minutes past the expected time.
"Forty-five minutes to an hour every day, I'm worried to the point of what do I do now," said Morris.
