Providence officials extend excused absences for students with special transportation accommodations during bus driver strike

October 2, 2018 2:57 pm

By: Sarah E. Rooney

Twitter: @ABC6

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – Key Providence officials met for a press conference Tuesday morning to call for an end to the school bus driver strike that started last Thursday.

A number of Providence City leaders including Mayor Jorge Elorza, City Council President David Salvatore, and School Superintendent Chris Maher united for a conference Tuesday morning to address the bus drivers strike that began last Thursday and is still ongoing.

At the conference, Mayor Elorza announced that students with special disabilities will continue to receive excused absences while the strike continues.

This announcement comes after local groups, including the ACLU, wrote a letter claiming that the city had an obligation to transport Providence students in special education programs.

For students that do not require special disability accommodations for transportation to school but still rely on school buses for transportation, excused absences have been extended through Friday, October 5.

At the conference, all speakers asked both sides of the dispute to remember the hardships that the strike places on Providence families.

The Teamsters Union organizing the strike is scheduled to meet with Providence city officials Tuesday afternoon to discuss the transportation of students with special education requirements.

This is a developing story. Updates will continue to be posted on our website as they become available.