A federal judge is allowing a Middletown mother’s discrimination lawsuit against her local school district to move ahead.
Carolyn Bradfield, who is legally blind and hard of hearing, and her husband are suing the Middletown Township Board of Education over its refusal to provide bus service for their three children.
The Bradfields say the lack of transportation has caused missed school days, emotional stress and academic setbacks.
Carolyn Bradfield has Usher syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes progressive hearing and vision loss.
She was declared legally blind in 2020 and can no longer drive or safely walk her children to school.
According to the complaint, the district previously provided courtesy busing to the Bradfields but later revoked it, citing policy restrictions.
Courtesy busing provides free transportation for students who live within walking distance of their school.
Under state law, school districts are only required to provide free bus transportation for high school students if they live 2.5 miles or more from their schools. For students in grades K through 8, students are only guaranteed free busing if they live 2 miles or more from school.
The school district has provided bus service for the family for the new school year while their legal case continues, the family’s attorney said.
The Bradfields claim that while the district has made transportation exceptions for other families, school officials never granted one for disability-related reasons.
On Aug. 28, U.S. Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni granted the family permission to amend their lawsuit to include claims under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination regarding unequal treatment.
The school board argued the new claims were late and legally flawed, but the judge disagreed.
“The proposed claims are not clearly futile and deserve to be heard on their merits,” Bongiovanni said.
The complaint, filed in February 2023, outlines how the family relied on neighbors, grandparents and the father’s work breaks to get their children to school.
Despite their efforts, the children missed dozens of days over two years. The parents say the situation strained their finances, careers, and marriage.
The Bradfields are seeking damages, educational support, and a court order requiring the district to revise its transportation policy to accommodate Carolyn’s disability.
A trial date has not been set.
Attorneys for the Bradfield family include Catherine Merino Reisman of Reisman Gran Zuba and David R. Giles.
“We are pleased with the judge’s decision and happy to be able to move forward with the case,” Giles said.
Giles said that while the school district did provide busing for the Bradfield children for the current school year, that decision does not resolve the central legal issue. The district has consistently maintained that it has no obligation to accommodate the mother’s disability.
However, Giles said that the judge has indicated he believes the law does require the district to provide such an accommodation.
The Middletown Township Board of Education is represented by Eric L. Harrison of the law firm Methfessel & Werbel.
In a statement, Harrison acknowledged that the school district has been able to provide busing to the Bradfield family this year.
“We cannot guarantee courtesy transportation every year, as a school district’s transportation resources are limited by law,” he added.
Harrison continued, “If the court tells us that the law requires us to create a new bus run for the Bradfields because of Mrs. Bradfield’s disability then of course we will abide by that order. Until then, we will do our best to accommodate all parents and guardians facing a transportation hardship by putting their children on pre-existing bus runs, if we can do so without jeopardizing the transportation of students who live more than two miles away.”
Originally published by Colleen Murphy, for nj.com on September 3, 2025.
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