Circle of Friends nears bus purchase to expand student outings

Circle of Friends in Cottage Grove is edging closer to buying a wheelchair-accessible bus that would change what its students can do beyond the classroom. The school still needs a little more than $30,000, even after a recent $20,000 community donation moved the purchase much closer to the finish line.

The vehicle would give Circle of Friends 10 wheelchair-accessible seats and room for support staff, allowing students with significant disabilities and complex mobility challenges to travel without depending on parents or other schools for rides. That matters because many of the school’s students require 1:1 or 2:1 support, and traditional transit options often do not line up with school schedules, are not accessible, or are unavailable when needed.

For families in Cottage Grove and elsewhere in Lane County, the difference is concrete. A bus like this could turn field trips to museums, science centers, gardens and parks from occasional possibilities into regular parts of the school experience. It could also support educational, therapy and community-based activities that are harder to arrange when transportation is the barrier standing between a student and the outing.

Lane Transit District helped secure $179,209 in federal Section 5310 transportation funding for the project, and the LTD Board of Directors unanimously approved it after recommendations from the LTD STIF Advisory Committee. Circle of Friends’ grant documents describe the vehicle as a highly specialized, wheelchair-accessible bus designed to safely transport students using mobility devices along with the staff needed to support them.

The school, based at 116 N 6th Street in Cottage Grove, said it was created in 2018 after recognizing that the system meant to serve children with complex disabilities was often falling short. Its mission now is to expand equitable access to education, mental health, community and opportunity for youth with disabilities and those who love them. For a small school in a rural part of Lane County, the bus would not just make trips easier. It would help decide whether inclusion stays a promise on paper or becomes part of everyday life.