Parent tells Bensalem board door‑to‑door transportation failed for autistic student on first day of school

A Bensalem parent told the Board of School Directors in public comment that the district failed to provide door‑to‑door transportation for her nonverbal, autistic sixth‑grade son on the first day of school and that repeated calls to the transportation office were unanswered or disconnected.

Bianca Camacho said she made multiple calls starting the week before school and that she was told at one point her son would be assigned a bus but later was told that could not be authorized. She described being told by a transportation employee, "If you want your son to go to school, you gotta take him," and said she had to miss work to bring her child to school on the first day because no bus showed.

Camacho said the student previously received transportation services from the district and that this was not the first time the family had experienced problems. She told the board she had emailed members and tried calling transportation multiple times; she said calls were placed on hold and sometimes disconnected.

Dr. Lee responded from the dais, acknowledging the family's experience and saying, "I'll I'll I'll stay with this as well as others." Other board members expressed regret that the family had that experience and said the matter appeared to have resolved for the following day.

The exchange occurred during the public comment period; no formal action was taken at the meeting on transportation procedures. Board members said they would follow up and staff indicated they had since been in contact with the parent.

Notes: The commenter identified her son as a sixth grader at Belmont in the autistic support program and described the transportation as door‑to‑door. The transcript records multiple specific staff names she contacted (Brian, Tracy, Pat) but does not indicate a formal district response or corrective policy adopted at the meeting.