Wakefield father tells South Kingstown committee district repeatedly failed transport for his autistic daughters

Sean Kavanaugh, a Wakefield resident and father of three, told the South Kingstown School Committee during public comment that district transportation failures have repeatedly denied his twin 5‑year‑old daughters — both diagnosed with autism — their required classroom time and violated state special‑education transport rules.

Kavanaugh said the problems began when his children started preschool in fall 2023. He said bus arrival times were often late or missing, and that GPS data he obtained showed his daughters missed “at least 26 and 3 quarters hours of school,” which he described as “the equivalent of over 4 days.” He added that between February and March 2024 the district “did not transport my children to school even once on time.”

Why it matters: Federal and state special‑education rules and a family’s IEPs typically require districts to provide timely transport for students entitled to it. Kavanaugh said he pursued the matter with the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), which resulted in a hearing and a consent order he brought to the meeting as evidence.

Kavanaugh described repeated communication breakdowns among the district, the bus company and individual schools. Quoting an email he said he received from district leadership, he said the district had concluded “the problem, as it turns out, was poor communication between the school department and the bus company.” He said the bus contractor “was operating with the understanding that pre‑K program began their day at 08:53” while one elementary school expected 08:40, and that even the later time was often missed.

Kavanaugh said the district later admitted, during the RIDE process, that it had violated Department of Education regulations limiting ride time for special‑needs students on 21 separate occasions. He said the district reported those incidents to RIDE only as an outcome of the hearing. He also said that on one day in December his daughters were not returned home until about 4:21 p.m., nearly an hour after the district’s dismissal time, and that he was unable to reach anyone by phone for an extended period.

Kavanaugh told the committee he spent his own money to buy GPS trackers for his daughters and that the devices showed multiple daily transportation problems “every single day since the middle of this month.” He said he has raised the issue with the district “435 days” earlier and that the district had failed to fix it: “It is time for the committee to take responsibility, enforce compliance, restore trust with families you serve.”

The district response and process: At the meeting, committee members listened during the public‑comment period; no formal committee action or vote addressing Kavanaugh’s complaint was recorded on the transcript. Kavanaugh said he brought the matter to RIDE, obtained a hearing, and that a consent order resulted. He also said the district provided legal counsel during the RIDE process. The committee did not announce immediate follow‑up action on the record at the meeting.

Background and outstanding questions: Kavanaugh repeatedly invoked RIDE regulations and the consent order; he said the district at times failed to report regulatory violations until compelled by the hearing. He also named Ocean State Transportation as the bus contractor and referenced individual school staff he contacted during incidents. The transcript does not record district staff answering Kavanaugh’s allegations at the meeting or any committee motion to open a follow‑up investigation.

Ending: Kavanaugh concluded by urging the committee to enforce compliance with special‑education requirements and to restore trust with the families the district serves. Committee members acknowledged his comments during the public‑comment period; the transcript does not show further committee deliberation or a formal response during that meeting.