Some students with disabilities are sweating out the summer on buses with broken AC

Many students with disabilities are required by federal law and city policy to have air conditioning on their school buses, but some New York City parents say their children have spent their summer commutes sweltering.

Ashlee Mulero, who lives on the Lower East Side, said her son 5-year-old Aidan, with autism and nonverbal, has been coming home deeply flushed and soaked with sweat.

“His cheeks are red, sweaty,” she said. “He looked like had just finished going swimming.”

She said the bus driver, with a towel on his head, told her the air conditioning doesn’t work. “For all of July, there had been no AC,” she said.

Mulero said the problem has persisted through the beginning of August as well. She has filed a complaint with the city’s education department.

The city requires air conditioning for all school buses transporting students in District 75 who attend 12-month programs. The district serves students with complex disabilities including autism, cognitive delays and emotional issues.

On top of that, many other students with disabilities who take the bus have air conditioning mandated as part of their individualized education programs, or IEPs, which are backed by federal disability law.

But parents and advocates said the city has struggled for years to meet those mandates. Students with disabilities sued the city over faulty air conditioning a decade ago, and advocates said, as summers get hotter, the problem is becoming more acute. New Yorkers endured two heat waves in July with “feels-like” temperatures topping 100 degrees.

“On a weekly basis, it could be 6-10 buses, maybe even more,” said Ilyana Frias, a United Federation of Teachers representative in Brooklyn for District 75. “ They are hot, they're bothered. Some students cry. They start acting out. I've heard of students not wanting to get on the bus in the afternoon.”

The education department confirmed that there were more than 130 violations for problems with air conditioning on school buses in July. Officials said they couldn't provide a count of how many buses were involved.

“We are dedicated to ensuring that our school buses are consistently cool and air conditioned for all students at all times, and particularly during summer months and for our students with disabilities,” said Dominique Ellison, a spokesperson for the education department.

If students, parents, or educators see an issue, they should report it, Ellison said.

“We are actively working with our vendors to make these repairs as quickly and efficiently as possible,” she said.

The City Council passed a law a couple years ago that would expand and strengthen requirements for air conditioning on school buses for students with disabilities. That law goes into effect in 2035.

Randi Levine, policy director with the nonprofit Advocates for Children, said her group is pushing for tighter requirements as part of new contracts with bus companies that are being negotiated by the city right now. Many of those contracts were set to expire before a city panel voted to extend them on an emergency basis as negotiations continue through the summer.

Rima Izquierdo, parent and advocate for District 75 students, said her son, who is autistic, has been riding a bus without air conditioning all summer.

“It’s just honestly ridiculous,” she said.

Izquierdo said her son’s bus without AC eventually got “swapped out” for a different one in July, but she worries another child is now stuck with that same hot bus. She has also filed a complaint.

Correction: This story has been updated to correctly state how many violations were issued to school buses for air conditioning issues.