MILWAUKEE — An MPS parent is asking for more reliable transportation for his child this school year.
Deshaunte Smith's son uses a wheelchair.
"My son, he doesn't walk, so he depends on his wheelchair. That's how he gets around; that's how he gains his independence," Smith said.
He tells TMJ4 that independence has been put on hold for his son.
The MPS parent sent TMJ4 an email saying that since the start of the school year, his 12-year-old son has not had a wheelchair-accessible bus to take him to school.
"I was pretty calm and patient for that first week, but afterward, the second week, it was still the same issue," Smith said.
Smith received an email from MPS transportation on Tuesday saying that, for the second week, "driver staffing issues" are the reason why his son's bus route was stopped.
"I've had to physically drop my son off at school every day, which I have no problem with, but like I said, why isn't he able to independently get himself to and around school?" Smith said.
He says the lack of accessible transportation also means he has no way to bring his son's motorized wheelchair to school.
Watch: MPS dad asks district for more reliable transportation for his son in wheelchair
"The power wheelchair is pretty heavy—it's three to four hundred pounds, easy. There's no way for me to physically lift that, and I don't have the type of vehicle to haul it," Smith explained. "Even when we go to doctor’s appointments, his insurance pays for rides back and forth from his doctor’s appointments so that he can drive his own wheelchair through there."
"So without a bus that is wheelchair accessible, your son is not able to bring his power wheelchair to school?" asked Mackar.
"Yeah, he's not able to bring his wheelchair to school."
The result of that is teachers having to push his son around the building in a temporary wheelchair.
Smith says he's been calling Central Offices since the start of the school year with no answers as to when the route will be back in service—until he asked the media to get involved.
When we reached out to MPS Central Offices, a spokesperson said there was no shortage of buses and that the accessible bus in question was out of service for maintenance. The email sent to TMJ4 said a new bus will be servicing the route beginning Friday.
"Now all of a sudden the issue that I've been dealing with for 10 business days is rectified in 45 minutes?" Smith questioned.
Throughout it all, the parent says his only concern was providing his son with the confidence and independence to focus on learning.
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