ACCESS Advocacy: Bus Talking Points

5/2/2026 12:23 pm

We are a strong, positive, passionate community. And we have a voice. Let’s speak up and show up. 

Here are talking points that parents can use if needed when talking/writing  to folks in the community, press, board members, or PPS leaders.

They were compiled with the help of AI using de-identified comments from various Access community members in text, email, and Facebook and co-edited by members of the PTA board and advocacy committee. 

When writing or speaking, please use this as a guide but use your own words rather than cutting and pasting to make it more impactful.  This should be about 80% sharing an authentic/compelling personal story about how this change will affect you, 20% making a few high-level points about how transportation is a necessity not a convenience for the school given its location and purpose, and confusion/disappointment over their jumping straight to eliminating it entirely when there are probably plenty of compromise solutions like consolidating routes. Try to be polite, collaborative, and solutions oriented.

Opening Frame

• “We understand the district is facing serious budget challenges. Eliminating transportation to ACCESS Academy is not a neutral cost-saving decision—it fundamentally removes access to a program that many students need to receive an appropriate education.” We want to work with you.

1. This Is Not a “Choice” School—It’s a Need-Based Program

• “ACCESS is being misclassified. It is not a ‘focus option’—it is an alternative program designed for students whose needs cannot be met in traditional classrooms.”
• “There’s a critical difference: focus options are about preference; alternative programs are about necessity.”
• “Our students are often at or above the 99th percentile and require instruction at a different rate and level—not just enrichment.”

2. These Students Have Real, Recognized Special Education Needs

• “Students at ACCESS are at the far end of the bell curve—just like students who qualify for special education services on the other end.”
• “Research shows these students develop asynchronously—advanced intellectually but often still developing socially or emotionally—and many are also twice-exceptional, meaning they have disabilities like ADHD, autism, dyslexia, or anxiety.”
• “This is not about being ‘ahead’—it’s about having fundamentally different learning needs.”

3. Neighborhood Schools Are Not Equipped to Meet These Needs

• “Many ACCESS students are already working one or more grade levels ahead in math, science, and other subjects.”
• “If they are forced back to neighborhood schools, they will be repeating material or left without appropriate instruction.”
• “That’s not equitable—and it violates the district’s responsibility to meet students at their rate and level of learning.”

4. We Are Offering Solutions

• “We are not saying ‘do nothing.’ We are asking for thoughtful alternatives.”
• “Options include reducing the number of buses, consolidating routes, creating neighborhood hub stops or moving the ACCESS start time later to make use of existing buses from other schools.”
• “We are ready to partner with the district on cost-saving solutions that preserve access and would love to have a listening session with PPS leaders to problem solve.”

5. This Will Worsen Equity, Not Improve It

• “Families with resources will find a way to stay. Families without flexible jobs, cars, or childcare will not.”
• “That means this decision will disproportionately push out lower-income families.”
• “The TAG identification system has equity gaps that PPS has been addressing. This decision reverses that momentum and creates new barriers.”
• “Equity must include neurodivergent and twice-exceptional students—these goals are not mutually exclusive.”

6. Real Secondary Impacts 

• “Families will be forced into impossible daily logistics, increasing stress and contributing to chronic absenteeism.”
• “The surrounding neighborhood will also feel the impact, with a significant increase in traffic during drop-off and pick-up in a limited space.”

• This could lead to more kids leaving the district

7. This Disrupts Students Who Are Already Vulnerable

• “Many ACCESS students have struggled socially in previous school settings and finally found a place where they belong.”
• “Peer groups matter—being around students with similar abilities and interests reduces bullying, anxiety, and isolation.”
• “For some students, being forced to leave this environment will be devastating.”

8. This Feels Like a Step Toward Closing the Program

• “When you remove transportation from a need-based program, you effectively restrict access.”
• “That leads to reduced enrollment diversity and creates a narrative that the program is inequitable—setting it up for eventual closure.”
• “Families feel like they are being asked to fight for their children’s basic educational needs over and over again.”

Closing Statement

• This is not about convenience—it’s about access to an appropriate education. For many of our kids, ACCESS isn’t a ‘nice-to-have.’ It is the only place in the district where their needs are truly met. Removing transportation doesn’t solve a budget problem—it creates an equity problem.”

PPS Contacts

Dr. Jon Franco (Senior Chief of Operations) - jfranco@pps.net

Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong (Superintendent) - karmstrong@pps.net

Deborah Kafoury (Chief of Staff) - dkafoury@pps.net

Dr. Isaac Cardona (Chief of Schools) - icardona@pps.net

Darcy Soto (Director TAG & Learning Acceleration) - dsoto@pps.net

School Board Contacts

Joint Board Email - schoolboard@pps.net

Edward (Eddie) Wang (Chair) - eddiewang@pps.net

Michelle DePass (Vice-Chair) - mdepass@pps.net

Christy Splitt (Zone 1) - csplitt@pps.net

Rashelle Chase-Miller (Zone 4) - rchasemiller@pps.net

Virginia La Forte (Zone 5) - vlaforte@pps.net

Stephanie Engelsman (Zone 6) - sengelsman@pps.net

Patte Sullivan (Zone 3) - psullivan@pps.net

Ian Ritorto (Student Representative - Roosevelt HS) - iritorto@pps.net