Garden State Times

Today, a bill sponsored by Senator Kristin Corrado to create a special education transportation task force has been approved by the New Jersey Senate. The legislation aims to improve safety measures for children in transit to and from school.

Senator Corrado expressed her gratitude towards Anabela Rossi for bringing attention to this critical issue. "Recent events have shown our state can, and must, do better to assure parents that their children will be safely transported to and from their school," she stated. "I want to thank Anabela Rossi for sharing the tragic story of her son, Matthew, with me and for working together to address this very important issue so no parent or child should ever have to go through what Matthew and his family endured."

The incident involving Matthew Rossi highlighted significant concerns regarding transportation safety. As reported by NJ.com, Kirk Rossi recounted witnessing his son being taken off the bus on February 10, 2023, appearing lifeless in his wheelchair while the nurse collected belongings as if nothing was wrong.

According to Anabela and Kirk Rossi, discrepancies were noted between what they were initially told about the incident and what later emerged. The nurse on board mentioned only that Matt's condition changed just before reaching home. However, further information revealed that the bus had stopped much earlier due to distress signs from Matt. It was discovered that Matt's N95 mask was filled with mucus and secretions but instead of calling emergency services, the bus continued its route.

The full text of bill S-3447 is available for public review.