LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Although Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) is getting kids home closer to their drop-off times, there are still students without an assigned bus.
Arai Collins should've gotten out of class from Carter Traditional Elementary on Wednesday but because she doesn't have an afternoon bus assigned to her, she can't go to school.
Berkley Collins has tried to get her daughter a bus ride home since the first day of school.
"I have advocated for her," Collins said. "I have reached out to everyone I possibly can."
Her first grader, Arai, has disabilities.
"She's developmentally delayed," Collins said. "She also has Ehlers-Danlos, and she has Tethered cord syndrome. That affects her balance and her muscles. She's also partially blind in one eye."
On top of falling behind in her classes, Arai is also missing out on the resources her Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) provides.
"She's not getting her occupational therapy," Collins said. "She's not getting her speech therapy. She's not getting to use the tools that the school provides to help with her fine motor skills."
However, because of her parents' work schedules, Arai's only option is riding a bus.
Arai Collins, a 1st grader at Carter Traditional Elementary.
"If I were to leave work to try and pick her up from the car rider lane, I'm not working within my hours," Collins said. "That will be an issue long term."
She said Arai doesn't know the details of the busing issue. Arai just knows she's missed days of school.
"She was very upset," Collins said. "She got to see her sister, Emma, leave while she had to stay home. That's upsetting for her."
But after weeks of phone calls and emails, Berkley Collins finally got a response late Wednesday afternoon.
"I worked with a teacher, and she was able to let me know that in the district, you have zones," Berkley Collins said. "For every zone, there is an assistant superintendent representative."
After several back and forth calls with her zone's assistant superintendent, Arai should have an assigned bus to get her home Thursday afternoon.
To view contact information for your school zone assistant superintendent, click here.
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