As New School Year Starts, Fall Conference Agendas Announced

By: Taylor Ekbatani

10 August 2026 at 07:00

Industry conferences are gearing up for the fall season, and agendas are being released with the latest and greatest information for student transportation professionals who are heading back to work for the new school year.

The National Association for Pupil Transportation’s 49th Annual Conference and Trade Show, NAPT ACTS 2026, will take place Oct. 3–7, 2026, in Louisville, Kentucky. This year’s theme, “Building Leaders for the Route Ahead,” emphasizes leadership development, professional learning and stronger connections across the student transportation community.

The five-day program is designed for transportation directors, fleet and maintenance professionals, trainers, routers, safety specialists and other school transportation leaders. It includes more than 40 sessions and workshops, over 10 NAPT Professional Development Series courses, and four certification pathways. Topics cover operational safety, crisis communication, data-driven decision-making, strategic and facility planning, student behavior, transporting students with disabilities, workforce retention, preventive maintenance, regulatory compliance and transportation technology.

Specialized programming includes workshops for new directors and maintenance teams, a national transportation briefing, recertification sessions and a Transportation Directors Executive Forum.

The trade show takes place Oct. 5, where attendees can explore school transportation products, technology and services and connect directly with industry suppliers.

Networking is built throughout the event through a first timers’ breakfast, marketplace sessions, receptions, regional assemblies, social events and sponsor demonstrations. The keynote, “Achieving Rock Star Status in Your Profession,” will be delivered by drummer and leadership speaker Kenny Aronoff, drawing lessons from high-performance music environments about teamwork, communication, creativity and collaboration.

Nearly a month later, the Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs Conference kicks off, hosting a Transportation Director Summit for the first time. Hosted by School Transportation News, the event will take place Nov. 4–10, 2026, in Frisco, Texas, and brings together school transportation and special-education professionals from across the country to improve the safety, accessibility and quality of transportation provided to students with disabilities and preschool-age children.

The conference is intended for transportation directors, fleet managers, driver trainers, school bus drivers, aides and monitors, special-education professionals, Head Start and childcare staff, superintendents, executives, manufacturers and industry suppliers. Its program combines educational sessions, hands-on training, product demonstrations and networking opportunities focused specifically on the operational and legal challenges of specialized student transportation.

Educational topics include individualized education and transportation plan development, funding amid the U.S. Department of Education moving IDEA to Health and Human Services, student-data protection, positive behavior support, transporting medically fragile students, wheelchair securement, school bus aide and monitor training, updated national specifications, and the use of artificial intelligence in transportation operations. The program also includes American Sign Language training, child-passenger safety instruction and sessions addressing accessibility and inclusive transportation practices.

A major component of the event is its specialized training. Attendees can participate in a national course on child-passenger safety aboard school buses, including hands-on practice with child safety restraint systems for preschoolers and students with disabilities. Other experiences include wheelchair-securement training, a special-needs transportation roadeo and workshops that allow participants to practice procedures rather than learning exclusively through classroom presentations.

New for 2026 is the two-day Transportation Director Summit, held Nov. 4–5. This limited-capacity program is designed for qualified transportation directors and fleet leaders and focuses on leadership, trust, innovation, peer problem-solving and collaboration with manufacturers and suppliers. Participants will take part in expert presentations, small-group discussions and structured networking before the main conference begins.

The TSD Trade Show will feature dozens of exhibitors presenting specialized buses, wheelchair and occupant-restraint equipment, safety systems, fleet software, video technology and other products developed for transporting students with additional needs. A trade-show reception provides attendees with an informal setting to meet suppliers, examine equipment and discuss potential solutions for their local operations.

Later that week, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services Annual Conference kicks off, Nov. 14-17 at The Ritz-Carlton, in Arlington, Virginia. The members-only event brings together state pupil transportation directors, state agency staff, transportation association leaders, federal officials, manufacturers, suppliers and other industry professionals.

The conference focuses on policy, regulation, safety and operational issues affecting school transportation at the state and national levels. Its location near Washington, D.C., gives attendees the opportunity to hear directly from federal transportation and safety partners. Invited agencies include the National Transportation Safety Board, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Transportation Security Administration.

Educational sessions address training, transportation for students with special needs, school bus crash investigations and emerging trends in pupil transportation. State directors will also lead discussions about the most significant challenges facing school transportation programs, allowing attendees to compare policies, share practices and examine how different states are responding to common safety and operational concerns.

The event also includes keynote presentations, group meals and networking opportunities intended to strengthen collaboration among government agencies, state transportation leaders and private-sector partners. Unlike a traditional trade show, NASDPTS hosts a smaller Supplier Showcase and Networking Session, scheduled for Nov. 15. The tabletop format allows suppliers to present products, services and industry innovations while meeting directly with state directors and other transportation decision-makers.

Written with the assistance of AI.

The post As New School Year Starts, Fall Conference Agendas Announced appeared first on School Transportation News.

New Date Set for NHTSA Child Passenger Safety Training at TSD

School Transportation News

By: Ryan Gray

4 August 2026 at 23:53

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration-sponsored Child Passenger Safety on School Buses National Training returns to the 2026 Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs Conference and Trade Show but on a new day.

The all-day, hands-on training is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 5 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Dallas-Frisco Convention Center. The new date places the course one day before the main TSD Conference educational program begins. Participation is limited to 50 people. Separate registration and fees are required.

The course provides an overview of the proper use of child safety restraint systems on school buses, with a particular focus on preschool-age children and students with disabilities. Classroom instruction and videos are combined with guided hands-on practice, allowing participants to work directly with the equipment and procedures discussed during the seminar.

NHTSA’s supporting curriculum demonstrates the installation and use of rear-facing and forward-facing child restraint systems as well as safety vests. The agency identifies pupil transportation administrators and supervisors, school bus drivers and monitors who transport young children — including preschoolers, Head Start students and infants — among the course’s intended audience.

The hands-on component allows participants to practice correctly installing restraint systems and positioning children under the guidance of experienced instructors. The format is designed to help transportation professionals apply the course material when training staff or working with students on daily routes.

Nationally certified child passenger safety technicians who complete the training will earn 3.5 continuing education units.

**TSD Conference attendees participating in the Child Passenger Safety on School Buses seminar practice properly securing a rear-facing car seat on a school bus seat.**

The seminar may be purchased as an add-on to the TSD main conference registration or taken as a stand-alone course. This allows transportation professionals to attend the specialized training, even if they are unable to participate in the entire conference.

The 2026 TSD Conference and Trade Show is scheduled for Nov. 4-10 in Frisco, with the Transportation Director Summit being held the first two days. The event brings together school transportation, special education and safety professionals for specialized training, keynote presentations, breakout sessions, networking and a trade show featuring equipment and services designed to support students with disabilities and special needs.

Main conference registration is available at the $399 Super Early Bird rate through Friday, Aug. 7. The NHTSA training requires an additional fee and must be selected separately during registration.

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