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Parent urges Canyon ISD to restore suburbans for Discovery 18+ students after route change
Summary
A parent told the Canyon ISD board that a change from using multiple suburbans to a single school bus for the Discovery 18+ program has shortened student worksite time and prevented some students from attending volunteer placements.
Denise Brown, a parent of a student enrolled in Canyon ISD's Discovery 18+ program, urged the board April 14 to restore use of suburban vans for the program's off-campus job and volunteer placements, saying a shift to a single school bus has forced some students to miss placements or cut work times short.
"Being able to drop off and pick up each student at their designated times in my eyes is very important just as a real job expects," Brown said during public comment. She described Discovery Academy as a program that teaches life skills, job skills and social skills and said students previously were transported in suburban vans that could make multiple individualized stops. "Since the district has changed transportation from suburbans back to one school bus, this has caused many difficult days for the students and teachers," Brown said.
Brown said the change has caused scheduling problems because students have job sites and volunteer placements across Canyon and Amarillo; on some days the single bus could not reach all stops in time, she said. She asked the board to "allow Discovery to have the suburbans that they need in order to transfer each of these students." No board action was taken during the meeting; the remark was part of the public-comment portion of the agenda.
Why it matters: Discovery 18+ serves young adults with developmental differences who receive hands-on training at real job sites and community volunteer locations. Parents told the board that punctual, individualized transportation mirrors employment expectations and supports students' workplace learning.
Transcript notes: Brown spoke during the public-comment period and framed the issue as a recent operational change in district transportation. She described examples of delayed or shortened placements and recommended returning to the previous suburban-based model. The board acknowledged her comments but took no immediate action during the meeting.
"These young adults are truly being taught life skills that are helping them become responsible, confident and independent," Brown said. "I do not feel that there is a valid justification that these individuals need to miss out on group or volunteer work and have their daily work times cut short because of transportation change."
