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Parent tells Suffern board district is failing to honor son's Section 504 transportation plan
Summary
A parent, Manuel Santos Orte, told the Suffern Central School District board that staff have not provided curbside transportation required by his son’s Section 504 plan and that repeated attempts over seven months to resolve the matter were unsuccessful; no district response was recorded at the meeting.
Manuel Santos Orte, a parent and first-time speaker, told the Suffern Central School District Board of Education that district personnel have failed to provide curbside transportation required under his 17‑year‑old son’s Section 504 plan.
"This is not just a minor oversight. It's a violation of my son's rights," Manuel said, adding that his son — diagnosed with autism, asthma and, most recently, ADHD — has been academically successful and previously received the transportation service for three years.
Manuel said he first requested the curbside transportation seven months ago after moving to a gated community near Suffern. He told the board he contacted the assistant superintendent for finance and the director of safety and training during that period but that both declined to meet in person and that his only contacts were single phone calls from each. He said a meeting with the superintendent was "entirely unhelpful." He asked the board to visit his complex to see the route his son must take and to understand the safety risks he described.
Manuel also told the board that at the Nov. 5 meeting members had approved $34,310 for special education for a student who attends a school in Valhalla roughly 23 miles away, and asked why his son — who lives under 5 miles from his assigned school, he said — was being denied the same accommodation.
Moderator remarks during the public comment period focused on timing and sign‑in procedures; no district official provided a response during Manuel's time at the microphone and the board did not take formal action on his request during the meeting. The public‑participation portion of the agenda closed after Manuel finished his remarks.
What happens next: Manuel invited the board to visit his complex and said he would return to speak again if the board could not accommodate him within his three‑minute allotment. The board did not set or announce any follow‑up at the meeting.
