Disabled Girl Wins Battle for School Bus After Weeks of Missed Classes

In a heartbreaking turn of events, a disabled 9-year-old girl named Jessica McMillan was denied a school bus place by her local council, forcing her to miss over two weeks of classes at the start of the school year. Jessica, who overcame Hurler syndrome as a baby thanks to a lifesaving stem cell treatment, had been attending a specialized primary school more than four miles from her home.

However, the council's decision to revoke her school bus transport meant Jessica's mother, Kathleen, was facing the difficult choice of either quitting her job or finding another way to get her daughter to school. Fortunately, after a public outcry and intervention from the local Member of Scottish Parliament, the council reconsidered its stance, and Jessica is now back in the classroom, settling into her familiar routine.

Jessica's parents, Sammy and Kathleen, expressed relief at the council's U-turn, stating that the transport was a crucial part of their daughter's daily life. The family had previously used Jessica's case to support the Schiehallion Appeal, a campaign to bring more clinical trials to young cancer and blood disorder patients in Scotland.