Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Subject Acceleration and Changing Buildings

Yup. Money for aides is instructional money (principal's budget). Money for buses is transportation money (district budget).

In addition, the district would be assuming huge liability to allow a single adult to walk with a single child, unsupervised. (This is both for the protection of the child and the protection of the adult.) So the principal would actually have to budget two adults to accompany a single child to and fro. (You would think this would come up in the case of a bus driver, too, but at least you can time the departure and arrival of the bus, and have more confidence that there was insufficient time for anything untoward to occur.)

This is a big problem with our schools, as well. Each school houses a small number of grades and the schools are NOT located near one another. Right now, I have one DYS working on above-grade material in one subject in the regular grade (most of the time by himself, without a dedicated teacher), because I suspect that it is simply a logistical nightmare to figure out how to get him to the correct grade building. Next year, he will probably just be allowed to walk to the next grade for this subject because he will be in the next level building. In the extraordinarily rare occasion that subject acceleration has been allowed, it is my understanding that the parent agreed to transport the child. We may face this issue in the future. Honestly, arranging for transportation would be far less expensive than changing schools, so we'd be willing to do it in order to make it work.

Meanwhile, we have family in a neighboring town with a similar issue. Their children were transported at district cost to and from the next building for one subject a day.

In my son's schools if you are math accelerated for than 2 years, which happens for an average of 1 kid a year. Once they hit math not taught at their school they must go to another school to get instruction. I've known a few of these kids and they arrange to have them take math 1st period at the middle or high school, and then they must be transported BY A PARENT. (They must be singed in by a responsible adult). This defiantly discourages some parents.

In fact for YEARS & YEARS (over 20) the 8th graders who took Geometry had take it at the High School 1st period. The schedules were not the same, the schools were a mile away. It was a PITA but they would BUS them back to the junior high since there were enough of them. FINALLY the year before this was to affect my DS they changed the system where they moved a H.S. teacher to the Junior High instead.

I would think if the schools were catty corner it would be possible to have the kid walk from one to the other with your permission. He would not be the first kid to do this kind of arrangement. Suggest that if they can schedule this class at the beginning or end of the day their responsibility for the transportation will be less.