H 3166

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
Bill 3166
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)
A bill
TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING
SECTION 59-67-520, RELATING TO THE TRANSPORTATION OF HANDICAPPED SCHOOL-AGE
PERSONS ON PUBLIC SCHOOL BUSES, SO AS TO PROVIDE A PUBLIC SCHOOL BUS THAT
TRANSPORTS ONE OR MORE CERTAIN HANDICAPPED PERSONS MUST HAVE AN ADULT ATTENDANT
TO ACCOMPANY THE PERSON OR PERSONS ON THE BUS WHILE BEING TRANSPORTED, TO
PROVIDE THE SCHOOL BUS DRIVER MAY NOT SIMULTANEOUSLY SERVE AS AN ATTENDANT, AND
TO PROVIDE BUSES MAY HAVE MULTIPLE ATTENDANTS BUT ARE ONLY REQUIRED TO HAVE ONE
ATTENDANT.
Be it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1.  Section 59-67-520 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:
    Section
59-67-520. (A) Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 59-33-50,
59-67-420 and 59-67-510, the State Department of Education shall have the
responsibility for transporting handicapped persons of lawful school age to and
from the nearest school in which a handicapped pupil has been duly assigned.
Additionally, when a school district is providing classes for handicapped
persons between the ages of five and twenty-one years at the same location
where classes and programs are provided for handicapped persons under age five and
over age twenty-one, and when a cost reduction will result, the Departmentdepartment may enter into a reciprocal
agreement with the facility whereby certain handicapped persons between the
ages of five and twenty-one years may be transported on buses not owned by the Departmentdepartment and
certain handicapped persons under age five and over age twenty-one may be
transported on Departmentdepartment-owned buses.
    (B) A public school bus that is
transporting one or more handicapped persons who must be mechanically or
physically restrained while being so transported must have an adult attendant
at all times to accompany the handicapped person or persons on the bus while
being transported. The driver of the bus may not simultaneously act as the
adult attendant required in this subsection. This bus may have more than one
such adult attendant but only is required to have one.
SECTION 2.  This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.
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