The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) submitted an agreement to resolve a Section 504/Title II compliance review that OCR initiated to investigate whether CPS discriminates against students with disabilities by failing to ensure that adequate transportation is provided to and from the educational services to which they are entitled.  Prior to the conclusion of OCR’s investigation, CPS signed a Resolution Agreement which, when fully implemented, will ensure that CPS provides transportation services to students with disabilities when required as a related service by their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or Section 504 Plans.  CPS will publicize and operate a phone system to promptly troubleshoot transportation-related problems.  Parents of students with disabilities will receive notice of the phone system on the CPS website and during each IEP and Section 504 meeting where it is agreed that transportation will be provided as a related service.  In addition, to address concerns raised during OCR’s investigation that CPS was not addressing effectively transportation-related complaints, the agreement requires CPS to maintain a monthly reporting system to track all such complaints and their resolutions and all students who did not receive required transportation services, and to report these results monthly to OCR.  The agreement also requires CPS to identify students who during the 2009-10, 2010-11, and 2011-12 school years did not (or do not) receive the transportation services to which they were (are) entitled.  Notice will be provided to the parents of these students informing them of their right to reimbursement for costs incurred in providing transportation to school.  In addition, for any student who did not attend school for ten or more consecutive school days as a result of the District’s failure to provide transportation, CPS will convene with parental consent an IEP or Section 504 meeting to determine if the student is entitled to compensatory educational services and, if so, will provide those services in a timely manner.  The agreement also requires CPS to provide training to school principals to ensure that transportation is provided for all students who require transportation pursuant to an IEP or Section 504 Plan.  Read the Resolution Letter PDF (250K) | Read the Compliance Agreement PDF (40K)