Filed: 2024

Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

Plaintiffs: Parents and guardians of students with disabilities in the District and The Arc

Counsel: The Arc, Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, Children’s Law Center, McDermott Will & Emery

Overview: Parents and guardians of children with disabilities living in D.C., along with The Arc of the United States, filed a class action lawsuit against D.C.’s Office of the State Superintendent for Education for failing to provide safe, reliable and effective transportation to and from schools for children with disabilities, thereby denying students equal access to their education and unnecessarily segregating them from their peers.

Case Documents:

• Complaint
• Motion for Preliminary Injunction
• Motion in Support of Class Certification
• Plaintiffs’ Reply in Support of Motion for Preliminary Injunction
• Plaintiffs’ Opposition to Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss

Press Releases:

• DC’s OSSE Sued for Failure to Provide Safe and Reliable School Transportation, Denying Disabled Students Access to Education
• The District Fails to Provide Transportation for Students With Disabilities

Related Media:

• Washington Post: DC Is Failing Disabled Students Who Rely on Buses to Get to School
• Washington Post: DC Sued Over ‘Failure’ to Bus Kids With Disabilities To and From School
• WUSA9: Lawsuit on School Bus System for Students With Disabilities Filed Against the OSSE
• DC News Now: Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against DC’s OSSE; Claims Students With Disabilities Denied Equal Access to Education
• Washington Post: It Shouldn’t Take a Lawsuit for DC to Do Right by Disabled Students
• WJLA: Five DCPS Families File Class Action Lawsuit Over Disability Accessible Buses
• Hoodline: DC’s Education Agency Sued Over Denying Disabled Students Access to Education Through Inadequate Transportation Services
• Yahoo News: Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against DC’s OSSE; Claims Students With Disabilities Denied Equal Access to Education
• DC News Now: Ongoing busing blunders land DC in court
• WTOP News: DC has to turn over transportation plan for students with disabilities, judge says
• WJLA: DC parents hope for action amid lawsuit over accessible buses for disabled students
• WUSA9: ‘The communication is still just an issue,’ | Parents say buses are still late this new school year for students with disabilities
• ABC7: DC parents push for more consistent bus service for students with disabilities