TRANSIT CHANGE MADE WITH 'LITTLE TO NO NOTICE' - FAMILY

the staff at the school as well. The short notice that we were given from them was about a week and a half saying that he was going to be off the van. A lot of other parents that I've been in touch with have experienced the same thing. They've received little to no notice," Drodge told Simcoe.com.

Drodge points out, as a singlevehicle family, they're otherwise unable to get Wyatt to school, meaning the young student has had to miss class. The board says Wyatt and other students like him can ride the bus or walk to school, but Drodge says that is short-sighted.

"They're looking at transportation as a singular event, as in, he just has to get through the bus (ride) and then he's fine. And that's not how it works. With children like this, any difficulties he has in any part of his day has a cascading effect on the rest of his day," Drodge said.

"For them to just make this decision

and not even consult with parents regarding their own children. To me, is just, that's grossly negligent," he added.

According to his father, Wyatt's school, Innisfil Central Public,

is seven kilometres away from his home, on a stretch of road with an 80 km/h speed limit and no sidewalk. While there is a brief 50 km/h safety zone directly in front of the facility, walking to school is out of the question.

Innisfil Trustee Donna Armstrong agrees that all students outside any school's 1.6-kilometre walking zone require transit, saying provisions are being made for those with special needs.

"If they need help with preferred seating or noise-reducing headphones or even EA (education assistant) help, an assistant would be there on the bus to help them if they need those supports."

Drodge admits the board offered to provide an EA to travel with Wyatt. Since then, he has been temporarily reinstated on dedicated transit for six weeks while another solution is sought. However, neither are long-term options for Drodge, who says the lack of communication is what hits home with him.

"What criteria were used in coming to the decision? I asked for information specific to my son. What thresholds that he failed to meet?" he said. "I've asked verbally several times, I have written to the board, and I've heard nothing back yet. So to me, for something that important, you think that's information they'd have readily available. And no one can seem to give me a straight answer."

Simcoe.com reached out to the school board to learn more about the methods and reasoning behind this decision and received a prepared statement: "It is our shared goal to support students on their journey toward independence while providing appropriate tools along the way. Should families feel that this decision does not align with that goal and wish to present other factors, they are welcome to proceed with an appeal," reads the statement in part.

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: When Simcoe.com reporters saw posts about the ending of some transit for special-needs students from concerned parents on local Facebook groups, we reached out to those parents, the school board, and a local trustee to try and learn the reasons why.