An Orange Unified School District school bus in Southern California was involved in a crash with a SUV that resulted in hospitalization for the victims but they are expected to recover.
Michael L. Christensen, superintendent of Orange Unified School District (OUSD), released a statement saying that two students and the school bus driver were onboard Monday at the time of the incident and have been transported to local hospitals.
The Orange County Fire Authority responded to the scene of the incident and stated that there three adults and two children sustained injuries. They were all transported in stable but serious condition. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the crash.
“Our hearts go out to our students, the driver, and their loved ones during this challenging time,” said Christensen. “We are deeply grateful to the first responders for their quick response and support, and we are working with the California Highway Patrol on their investigation.
Industry expert, NAPT Hall of Famer, TSD Tenured Faculty Member, and consultant Linda Bluth, Ed.D joins us for the first time on the podcast to share insights on students with special needs. She addresses the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), departmental collaboration, aides, alternative transportation, substitute drivers, training and more.
New Zonar CEO Charles Kriete discusses the technology provider’s combination with GPS Trackit, as well as efficiencies and innovations planned for the future.
Meeting the daily challenges of transporting children with disabilities is real and
complex. These challenges are not new, but they are increasingly multifaceted. On top of the challenge list in many school districts is driver shortages, followed by the cost of transportation services. What can be overwhelming is the increase in competing priorities to safely transport children with disabilities.
The pressure resulting from how to accomplish safe transportation for these children can result in inadequate decision-making. Guided by the principles of safety, responsibility and entitlement under federal and state law it is imperative to aspire to respond to challenges for safe transportation of children with disabilities by timely addressing the “Do’s and Don’ts” under pressure. I am realizing more and more about the importance of knowing what is and is not required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
In addition to federal law, it is critical to be well-versed about state law pertaining to the related service of transportation for eligible children under the IDEA. Under the
IDEA Part B regulations, transportation is defined as a related service that includes: “(i) Travel to and from school and between schools; (ii) Travel in and around school buildings; and (iii) Specialized equipment (such as special or adapted buses, lifts, and ramps), if required to provide special transportation for a child with a disability.” (34 CFR §300.34(c)(16).
At first glance, this IDEA definition appears clear. In reality, unique individual child transportation requirements necessitate extensive knowledge about the related service of transportation and its explicit requirements.
Understanding the role of the individualized education program (IEP) team’s responsibility under the IDEA to develop, approve and implement the related service transportation is essential. Approved transportation services should always be documented in the IEP to avoid misunderstandings and potential IDEA compliance violations. The IEP team meeting should always include all the qualified personnel necessary to make an informed decision, including the parent.
Don’t make unilateral transportation decisions without the attendance of all stakeholders that are required for implementing an IEP. The following is an example of a costly mistake that happened multiple times during my career. The IEP team, under pressure from a single parent, required that a child be picked up first and dropped off last.
This was solely based upon the parent’s work schedule and not the needs of her child, based upon their disability. Unknown to transportation, the IEP team approved the request. It was not feasible to implement but still approved and written into the child’s IEP. The parent emphatically stated her request was “required under the IDEA.” The IEP team was intimidated and believed her.
This IEP decision resulted in a hearing officers’ requirement for the school district to add a new route to implement the approved IEP service. Can you imagine the unintentional effect of this IEP team’s unilateral decision? Make sure that the IEP team is fully knowledgeable about the IDEA transportation related service requirements, and do not make a decision based upon false information.
Another example of a costly mistake is when a parent at an IEP meeting claims, citing IDEA, their child is required to be transported to after-school care 17 miles away from
their home address. The IEP team unwisely believes the parent and approves their request.
The lesson to be learned is don’t believe everything that a person says without knowing how the IDEA addresses a specific issue. Be knowledgeable about what state law says on a specific topic and how the school district’s policies and procedures address the issue. In the previous example, it is likely that if the school district transports children without disabilities to requested after-school care or daycare, the school district will also be required to do so for children with disabilities as a matter of equity. These are just two examples of challenges whereby poor decision-making resulted in an avoidable costly error.
It is essential to know federal and state laws pertaining to transportation service eligibility requirements for children with disabilities. It is wise to rethink in advance
how to best provide these transportation services for children with disabilities. Utilizing school transportation data can improve decision-making. Accessing all funding sources helps to offset costly transportation services. One example is billing Medicaid when it is an allowable transportation expense.
Communication and coordination between multiple school district departments is key to problem-solving. It is key to be knowledgeable and current about best practices and school transportation literature concerning safe transportation of children with disabilities.
Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the November 2024 issue of School Transportation News.
Linda F. Bluth, Ed.D. is a national compliance and regulatory expert on IDEA transportation law and provisions. She is a tenured faculty member of the TSD Conference, a regular STN contributor, and a Hall of Fame member of the National Association for Pupil Transportation.
Casiano Perez said the Theodore Roosevelt quote “Believe you can and you’re halfway there” is an empowering statement that resonates with him. The quote reminds him that self-belief is crucial.
“When you start your day believing in your abilities, you’re more likely to tackle challenges with a positive mindset,” he said. “On tough days, this quote reminds me that a significant part of overcoming challenges lies in your mindset. Believing in your ability to find solutions can help you stay resilient and push through difficulties, whether it’s dealing with traffic delays, mechanical issues, or other unforeseen problems. This self-belief can also motivate you to keep striving for excellence, knowing that your efforts are making a difference in the students’ daily lives.”
Each year, School Transportation News chooses 10 Rising Stars based on nominations submitted by school districts and companies around the industry. These individuals have shown exemplary commitment and dedication in the student transportation industry and continue to demonstrate innovation in their roles. This year’s Rising Stars are featured in the November magazine issue.
Prior to joining the student transportation industy, Perez worked a couple of years a router for a food service company. Following his time with the food service company, he served in various roles — coordinating transportation for students with disabilities, managing schedules, and ensuring that all transportation activities adhered to school policies and state regulations — for a nonpublic school, expanding his experience. This experience, he said, allowed him to gain a deeper understanding of the unique challenges and requirements of pupil transportation, particularly for students with disabilities.
In 2016, he joined the East San Gabriel Valley Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) as a transportation router. In this role, he designed and implemented efficient transportation routes for students with special needs. “My dedication and expertise quickly led to my promotion to transportation director, a position I have proudly held for the past five years,” he noted. “Throughout my career, I have consistently focused on improving transportation efficiency and ensuring the safety and well-being of students. My journey has been marked by continuous learning and a commitment to excellence in pupil transportation.”
His daily responsibilities as transportation director involve coordinating and managing various aspects of special education across 10 Local Educational Agencies (LEAs). Perez explained that he regularly communicates with the LEAs to ensure special education services are being delivered effectively. He also attends meetings with LEA representatives, parents, and other stakeholders to discuss student needs, program updates and compliance issues.
A significant part of his role, he said, includes overseeing the planning and optimization of over 120 special education transportation routes to ensure the safe and timely transport of approximately 1,000 special education students.
Other job duties include working with their transportation vendor, as he oversees the contract, and collaborating with bus drivers and transportation staff to address challenges.
“I ensure that Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are being implemented correctly and that all documentation is up to date, while staying informed about state and federal regulations related to special education to ensure compliance,” he added, noting that attending student IEP meetings is a key part of my role.
It’s during these meetings that he provides input and support to ensure that the educational plans meet the students’ needs. Perez also coordinates the allocation of resources, such as specialized equipment and support staff, “to meet the diverse needs of students, and organize training sessions and professional development opportunities for school bus drivers and transportation support staff,” he noted.
In terms of crisis management, Perez said he address any immediate issues or emergencies that arise, whether related to student behavior, transportation, or other concerns, and maintains open lines of communication with parents to address their concerns and provide updates on their child’s progress. “Every day is different and that’s what keeps things interesting,” he said.
Focus on Safety, Efficiency
Scott Turner, executive director of East San Gabriel Valley SELPA, wrote in his nomination that Perez is an amazing leader, being instrumental in creating a close partnership with school bus contractor Durham School Services that focuses on high-quality service, safety and efficiency, overcoming barriers such as varying school district calendars, strict parameters on ride time, and serving primarily a moderate/severe population.
Casiano Perez looks to provide safe and efficient support of students with special needs.
“Mr. Perez has developed and maintained ongoing meetings of a safety committee, regular professional development, hands-on emergency planning and numerous processes and policies that have been instrumental in providing services to the ten school districts,” Turner added. “… Mr. Perez has been regularly recognized by parents, superintendents, special education directors, and his peers for his dedication to improving services for students with disabilities.”
Perez explained that he has expanded on several key projects during his time as director to enhance safety and efficiency. One of those focuses has been on staff training and development for school bus drivers. East San Gabriel Valley SELPA implemented a comprehensive student management training program that educates drivers on various disabilities they may encounter and how to effectively support those students while on the school bus.
“Additionally, we have dedicated significant time to emergency planning training to ensure that our drivers are well-prepared to respond to any emergencies, whether they occur inside or outside the school bus,” he added. “This holistic approach ensures that our drivers are equipped with the necessary skills and tools to handle a wide range of situations, ultimately providing a safer and more supportive environment for our students.”
A recent challenge amid school start-up was, you guessed it, the driver shortage. Perez said it continues to be a significant hurdle for not only their operations, but across the industry. To address it, he said, they worked to establish a strong partnership with Durham, which helps them maintain a steady pipeline of trained drivers.
Transportation staff also ensures that ongoing training and support are provided to the drivers to help them with the necessary skills and knowledge to successfully transport all students.
“Additionally, throughout the year, in collaboration with Durham, we participate in lunches on special occasions such as Love the Bus Month, School Bus Driver Week, Valentine’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, and other events to help keep morale high,” Perez added. “This proactive approach helps us mitigate the impact of driver shortages and maintain a high standard of service.”
Other initiatives to boost driver morale include regularly acknowledging and rewarding outstanding performance through awards and certificates, offering ongoing training and development programs to help drivers advance in their driving careers as well as maintaining open lines of communication between drivers and management, encouraging feedback and suggestions.
“These efforts help drivers feel valued, appreciated, and involved in decision-making processes,” he said.
Going Forward
Within the next five years he said he sees the East San Gabriel Valley SELPA continuing to transform to become more efficient, inclusive and environmentally friendly. Perez said his goal is to create a system where every student, regardless of their special needs, has access to safe and reliable transportation. To achieve this, the plan is to fully integrate technology in all aspects of their transportation operations. This, he said, will ensure safety and efficiency to optimize routes, reduce travel times and improve communication channels between the SELPA, parents, and the community, which is essential to ensure transparency and foster collaboration.
“Additionally, we are continuously upgrading our safety protocols and infrastructure to create a secure environment for all students,” he said. “These goals reflect our commitment to creating a supportive, innovative, and inclusive educational environment for all our students.”
In working with Durham, East San Gabriel Valley SELPA is committed to transitioning to a greener fleet by incorporating electric vehicles.
“I would also like to expand training programs for school bus drivers to include specialized training in handling the unique needs of our students, ensuring a compassionate and supportive environment,” he said of future projects. “Through these initiatives, I aim to create a transportation system that not only meets the logistical needs of our students but also supports their overall well-being and educational success.”
Above all, Perez said his favorite part of his job, is the opportunity to make a positive impact on students’ lives every day.
“Every day, I get to ensure that these students have a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable journey to and from school,” he said. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see their smiles and know that I’m contributing to their overall well-being and educational experience.”
Plus, he said, he enjoys the relationships that he’s built with the students and their families. “Understanding their unique needs and preferences allows me to provide personalized care and support, which can make a significant difference in their day,” he said. “The trust and appreciation from both the students and their parents are truly heartwarming and motivating.”
He explained that having close family members with special needs makes the work even more meaningful to him. “It drives me to do everything I can to be an advocate for these students, ensuring they receive the care and support they deserve,” he said.
Outside of work, he spends his time going to his children’s sporting activities. His oldest daughter plays club soccer, and his son plays baseball, which adds up to a busy weekend. When Perez does have free time, he and his wife enjoy bike riding and participating in local 5-10K charity runs. They are fans of the outdoors and enjoy camping or off-roading.
Keynote trainers and conversations at the TSD Conference and Trade Show last week focused on seeing students with special needs as people first and consistently supporting them in their distinctive requirements.
“I always ask: ‘Is this in the best interest of the kid?’” Dana Rosen, TSD keynote speaker and assistant director of transportation services for student safety and support for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD in Texas, shares how she uses her special education background to support both transportation staff and students with special needs on the school bus ride.
John Daniels, vice president of marketing at Transfinder, talked with Tony Corpin at the 2024 Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs (TSD) Conference about how Transfinder’s technology offerings can help streamline operations for student transporters, specifically when transporting students with special needs.
Tony Corpin sat down with Laura Greene-Halley, First Student’s senior director of student services, to discuss the company’s “First Serves” program that is designed to partner with transportation to create an successful learning environment for students with special needs and disabilities.
FRISCO, Texas — School transportation professionals face unique challenges in keeping students safe from sexual abuse, especially those who have disabilities.
“Students are at greater risk of sexual abuse during transportation due to factors like access, privacy, and power dynamics,” explained Christy Schiller, the vice president of consulting for abuse prevention firm Praesidium during a Sunday general session at TSD Conference. “Drivers and aides have a lot of unsupervised contact with students, and there are often opportunities for privacy that predators can exploit.”
Schiller has over 30 years of experience in this field. She emphasized the importance of strategic supervision.
“If you’re not exhausted at the end of the day from vigilantly monitoring students, you’re not doing it right,” she added.
The session covered statistics on the scope of the problem, the dynamics of both adult-to-student and student-to-student abuse, and practical strategies student transportation providers can implement to mitigate these risks. Schiller urged attendees to also educate parents on the warning signs and importance of prevention.
“This abuse is preventable if we’re proactive about creating the safest possible environment,” Schiller said. “Student transportation providers play a critical role in protecting this vulnerable population.”
The discussion focused on enhancing abuse prevention and safety culture in organizations. That includes training and retraining staff to ensure that no actions with students can be misconstrued.
“Just because an adult shows a red flag behavior does not necessarily mean they’re grooming a student. It may just mean we need to remind them that we have a new normal now,” she added.
Meanwhile, she addressed the evolution of understanding grooming tactics, moving away from the “dangerous stranger” framework to recognizing the “skilled predator.” Schiller shared research indicating that survivors often reported an average of 14 unique grooming behaviors prior to the abuse occurring.
“It’s very common that we see these behaviors, I would argue, though not all of these behaviors have the same type of intent,” she noted.
Schiller emphasized the importance of conducting thorough background checks and screening, not only for transportation staff but volunteers who may have high levels of access to students.
“When there’s an incident, the plaintiff’s attorneys are saying, we want to see their personnel file, and so documenting that you have screened, you’ve talked to former employers” is crucial.
The discussion also highlighted the need for training on boundaries, separating the behavior from the person, and proactively monitoring high-risk situations. “If we can manage boundaries, we’re going to prevent a lot of abuse because we want to interrupt those behaviors early, and we want to teach people to separate the person from the behavior,” Schiller said.
She emphasized that creating a supportive environment where staff feel comfortable reporting concerns without fear of repercussions is essential. By addressing these issues, schools and districts can work to ensure the safety and well-being of students while fostering a culture of trust and accountability.
Parental involvement is also important, she said, in setting boundaries and reporting concerns as is the need for swift, compassionate responses to allegations, and the role of leadership in maintaining vigilance.
The conversation highlighted the challenges of “pass the trash” laws, which rely on self-disclosure by job applicants that they have not been previously charged or accused but perhaps not convicted of a prior crime, and emphasized the necessity of thorough screening processes and continuous monitoring. Schiller also discussed the importance of a culture that values safety, clear standards, and effective communication across all levels and with external partners was underscored, along with the necessity of addressing the forgetting curve to sustain safety initiatives.
FRISCO, Texas — With more school districts turning to private companies to provide non-school bus transportation for students with special needs, the time is now for public-sector professionals and non-profit safety advocates to develop standards for service, driver training, background checks, oversight and more, according to panelists who discussed essential considerations when contracting with such firms.
That was the message from a panel that discussed necessary considerations for selecting non-school bus vehicle providers to open Monday’s agenda at TSD Conference.
While several states have developed regulations governing these services, consistent standards are lacking nationwide amid a lack of school bus drivers and the school buses themselves not always being the most feasible vehicle, or the one that provides the least restrictive environment. As a result, the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) issued a statement earlier this year that it is “important to enumerate clear and reasonable criteria to help school districts assess these services and ensure that they meet their operational needs and the needs of their children.”
And the National Congress for School Transportation has brought the topic to its state delegations to vote on potential guidelines next May in Des Moines, Iowa.
“We’re not used to options,” said Launi Schmutz-Harden, a TSD Tenured Faculty member and retired director of transportation for Washington County Schools in St. George, Utah, during the general session sponsored by EverDriven. “They came in very quickly and they transported students quicker than we were able to put policies in place, procedures in place, training. I think the cart was before the horse and now we’re [playing] catch-up. As a transportation community we have new partners and we need to grow together.”
NAPT public policy liaison Peter Mannella, who moderated the panel discussion, said the pupil transportation industry is “in a grown-up moment having a mature conversation about what do we want for the kids.”
“The lobbyist in me always looks for opportunities for people I work with, my clients, to advance themselves to empower themselves. I think that’s kind of where we’re at with this,” he continued. “When you’re empowered, you don’t let things happen to you. You get involved in making what’s supposed to happen, happen. Your voice is there, your strength is there, your knowledge is there.”
He added that the industry now has “some amazing services that are being provided, that cropped up because we’re an entrepreneurial economy. … This community is saying, that’s good but it would be better if we could shape it differently, if we could put some restrictions or regulations or requirements around it to help us be sure we’re doing the right thing.”
Susan Shutrump, also a TSD Tenured Faculty member president and a recently retired supervisor of occupational and physical therapy services for the Trumbull County Educational Center in Niles, Ohio, said the discussion was a recognition that the conversation about transporting students with disabilities and special needs has “finally gotten to the point where we are looking at individualized transportation plans that go beyond a child’s individual education plan.”
“We’re calling groups together, we’re getting everyone to the table to sometimes write very complex individual transportation plans, and what I’ve heard for many, many years is when we talk about the vehicle, the transporter will say, ‘That’s not the purview of the IEP team. You don’t have that say. That’s one of the things we keep to ourselves.’
“But what we’re finding, as we know, is there’s certain equipment that can’t be used in all these different vehicles,” she continued. “And, so, in some sense, if we have to have certain specialized procedures, certain equipment, it is vehicle specific.”
She said the industry must work together to make appropriate, safe decisions, and alternative transportation is just another tool in the tool box to consider.
“It can work toward the needs of our children. So, thank goodness, we have this option,” she added.
Still, Shutrump said one districts are especially vulnerable when private companies believe that because they are transporting students they are exempt from safety restraint laws that apply only to yellow buses.
“It was never intended to be utilized or waived in these other vehicles where it’s even more important because they aren’t big and yellow and [aren’t] going to push anything out of their way in a crash,” she said. “You’re going see incredibly more high forces, G-forces and injury-producing forces in a smaller vehicle.”
Alexandra Robinson, the third TSD Tenured Faculty member and former executive director at the New York City Department of Education, expressed concern about the potential pitfalls of districts entering into agreements without the full involvement of transportation professionals.
“I get worried that we have people who are not experts in the room making decisions for us and then, while we are technically meeting the law because we are getting students to school, we are not meeting the intent of the law,” she said.
She warned school districts are being sued by parents of children with disabilities or special needs because transportation departments aren’t aware of contract details with alternative service providers.
“Often times, your contracts are written at your procurement and purchasing level or written at your (community-based organization) or superintendent level, and the department for which the contracting services are being purchased aren’t even at the table,” Robinson said. “You need to know for what you are contracting and do you have any input. … Our performance expectations should not be any different than the (key performance indicators) we set up for our own fleets.”
She insisted that monitoring and compliance of alternative transportation services needs to “hands on, observable, in person, being able to actually screen a wheelchair, meeting with parents, all of that stuff before a child even begins a service.”
“You need to build into compensation that when there is a lack of performance there is a violation or a liquidated damage because that will encourage your contractor, if at all possible, to be on time,” she continued. “You need to make the violation and/or liquidated damage important enough that the contractor will not just say, ‘It’s only $250 today if we don’t have a driver. We’ll take the hit.’ You want to ask for enough indemnity, liability, damage and property insurance that would cover not just you, not just them, but all of the neighbors, families and rest of the district because it will get expensive if something happens. If a company cannot get bonded and/or insured for the amount you’re asking then that might be a problem because they don’t have a track record with their carrier to get that kind of coverage.”
Along that line, Schmutz-Harden said transportation departments professionals need to make sure that alternative companies train employees to the district’s standards “because that kid deserves the best driver.”
“They need training on what to do on a day-to-day basis, but they also need to know what to do in an emergency. There’s a big difference in what to do what to do when evacuating children,” she said, emphasizing the importance of annual fitness tests.
Robinson also said districts should insist upon complete, regular updates from alternative providers about the number of hours their drivers are logging not only with them but in other jobs to prevent accidents caused by fatigue.
From left, TSD Tenured Faculty members Alexandra Robinson, Susan Shutrump and Launi Schmutz-Harden address attendees on considerations to be made when selecting alternative transportation providers, as while NAPT Public Policy Liaison Peter Mannella facilitates.
STN Publisher and President Tony Corpin sat down with a few special guests at this week’s Transporting Students with Disabilities & Special Needs (TSD) Conference and Trade Show.
Gregg Prettyman, vice president of FirstAlt by contractor First Student, shares the program’s successes in serving students with special needs or disabilities and dispels myths about the alternative transportation industry.
Mike Ippolito, general manager of School Radio by Diga-Talk, shares how product developments like a new Wi-Fi-enabled radio can increase school bus connectivity and student safety.
Transfinder’s Vice President of Marketing John Daniels and client Annette “Kecia” Ling, transportation director of operations and planning for Savannah-Chatham County Public School System in Georgia, discuss leveraging technology to provide uniquely customized transportation service for students with special needs.
Hear soundbites from some of our attendees as they share what they found useful amid the learning, training and networking at the TSD Conference and Trade Show.
FRISCO, Texas — On Sunday evening, attendees and vendors gathered amid food and drink stations for a fun and interactive networking event with a football tailgate theme on the trade show floor. The next day, they returned for more discussions and demos with the innovative products, solutions and services on display.
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Members of the Frisco High School Band play for TSD Trade Show attendees on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2024. Photo by Vincent Rios Creative.
Members of the Frisco High School Band play for TSD Trade Show attendees on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2024. Photo by Vincent Rios Creative.
There may be no perfect solutions when it comes to routing. As can be painfully clear to all concerned, the narrow timeframes for morning and afternoon operations leave little margin for error. At the same time, requirements such as serving students with special needs add another degree of difficulty, all amid a school bus driver shortage.
For some school districts, changing bell times has brought greater efficiency to the routing process. That’s the path taken by Prince George’s County Public Schools, one of the largest school districts in Maryland, where until this year transportation staff were faced with 13 different bell times in the morning and 17 in the afternoon.
“This made routing complicated and directly impacted the timely arrival of students to schools,” said Keba Baldwin, director of transportation and central garage.
But now, the district has moved to three standard bell times, and the results have been positive. “Changes in bell times have helped to improve transportation by simplifying route planning and improving route efficiency,” Baldwin noted.
Improvements include balancing the distribution of trips, reducing delays and making optimum use of buses and drivers. District officials also feel standardization across bell times makes schedules clearer and easier for families to understand.
For Tacoma Public Schools in Washington state, a change in this year’s bell times is also expected to have a major impact.
“We’ve shifted our secondary schools, with middle school now starting first,” said Zachary Midles, director of transportation. “We have also tiered our elementary schools to have two start times versus one.”
The primary goal was to improve the ability of transportation staff to manage expectations for on-time arrival. “We’ve attempted to improve efficiency with less resources,” Midles added. “This has involved numerous hours of planning and mapping out our process.”
Prospects for attaining that improvement seem promising, as district officials anticipate saving about $1 million a year following implementation of the new schedule.
“This is due to a reduction in overhead in routes, leading to less fuel and driver pay,” Midles explained. “We also plan to reduce the length of some routes with this strategy, which will also be a savings.”
A revision in bell times has also been the story this year for Fayetteville Public Schools in Arkansas. “It allows more time between elementary/middle school runs and secondary runs,” said Michael McClure, director of transportation services. “This has improved arrival times at secondary schools and decreased the supervision times for administrators at secondary schools.”
A catalyst to the changes was an external audit conducted last spring.
“Our bell times were a glaring issue,” McClure said. “In conjunction with our central administration, we followed up with the bell time changes.” While the move has not come without some challenges, the overall results have been “significantly better,” McClure said.
“The only issues we’re running into are for elementary schools that are geographically close to middle schools,” he continued. “There is a 15-minute gap in drop off times, so some elementary students sit on the bus for 10 minutes before we can release them in the morning.”
Recently, Celina Independent School District north of Dallas, Texas, made some initial changes in bell times and morning drop-off times, with more being considered.
“One of the key challenges with managing bell times is ensuring there’s sufficient time between the first and second bells, as well as between the second and third bells,” noted Laura Carter, transportation services director. “This scheduling allows students to arrive at school on time and have adequate time for breakfast. It’s also important to account for any potential delays between bell times.”
Along with those considerations, continued driver shortages are also a problem. That will be the impetus for proposing a three-tier bell schedule going forward, Carter added.
Addressing Special Needs:
With special populations, which pose their own set of challenges, restructuring bell times can be a plus. If that move brings overall efficiency, it can free up drivers for other than routine routes. “This has helped with on-time deliveries to our secondary schools for both general ed and special needs,” Carter reported. But that’s only a partial solution, and in some cases isn’t an option. Such is the situation for City Schools of Decatur, Georgia, a district with a small geographical footprint but with routes congested by Metro Atlanta traffic.
“The problem is that we have a three-tier system and only 45 minutes between each tier,” said LoWanda Bowman-Brown, director of transportation. “And the kicker is we have five lower elementary schools that all start at the same time. Someone is going to be late if you have one driver going to multiple schools.”
The district has three special needs drivers, one who travels out of district to a neighboring school. “Not only does this stretch things for them, but the bell schedule makes timing tight for others,” Bowman explained. “The bell schedule means the regular drivers are constantly driving with no break to use the restroom or speak with the administrators about any problems arising on their bus.”
Currently, however, there is no official discussion of adjusting bell times. “Since the community is very small, with a radius of only five miles, most parents are opposed to adjusting bell times,” she continued. “And due to the athletics department needing to leave at four for most games, it’s unlikely that bell times will be changed.”
Geography is also a limiting factor for Fayetteville Public Schools. “Our district is elongated from an East/West perspective and the corridors are not conducive to heavy traffic,” McClure noted. “Special needs students may attend school a significant distance from their residence, which causes longer travel times.”
Baldwin shared that Prince George County’s use of routing software can be helpful in this area, but that additional challenges may come into play when students require individualized accommodations such as wheelchair access, specific seating or aides.
“The software helps tailor routes to meet these needs, but balancing efficiency with safety is difficult, especially with longer loading times and specialized stops,” he said. “Additionally, maintaining route consistency during driver changes and quickly adjusting to updates in students’ IEPs requires constant oversight.”
While the software streamlines much of this process, he added, ensuring seamless communication between transportation, schools and parents is key to providing the best service for these students.
Making the Change:
Whether it’s an effort to improve overall routing or enhance services to students with special needs, the process requires a cooperative approach as well as a measure of thick skin.
“Expect issues and criticisms when implementing any new procedure, program or technology,” McClure in Arkansas said. “Trust that with time and a team working on those issues that everything will improve.”
Collaboration in dealing with such challenges is a must, Texas’ Carter noted. “Involving the
transportation department in the planning process has proven effective,” she said. “It’s essential to build strong, positive relationships with administration, campus staff, and
the special education department to ensure you have a voice in decision-making processes.”
Bowman in Georgia emphasized that communication, whether with the school district finance department to ask for a new driver, or the special needs department for support, is key to any solution. Whenever possible that means not just telling, but showing.
“Show them what transportation looks like so they will understand the challenges,” she advised. “Ask them to ride the bus or show them camera footage so they can see the challenges that may hold the bus up.”
As an example, he said it can be revealing to observe a staff member trying to put a student in the seat who refuses to get in it. “Innovation is key,” Washington’s Midles said, adding that “this is the way we’ve always done it” doesn’t mean it’s the right way.
“Partner with your district as much as you can to work as a team and put the students first as much as possible,” he concluded.
Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the October 2024 issue of School Transportation News.
The 2024 Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs (TSD) Conference in Frisco, Texas featured a full schedule of educational sessions, empowering keynotes, hands-on training, a product demonstration and onsite Ride and Drive event and more! Check out these daily recap videos from the conference.
FRISCO, Texas – A TSD Conference audience joined a panel of four experienced female transportation managers in discussng aspects of routing technology usage that can benefit students, parents and transportation staff.
The Sunday panel was comprised of clients of presenter Transfinder and was moderated by Arnold Byrd, the company’s sales enablement specialist.
Lisa Sawyer, transportation coordinator for Tracy Unified School District in central California, has over 90 school buses and 100 staff members. When she started, the department had about 30 buses and routing was done with Excel spreadsheets. While her current solutions of Transfinder and Zonar aren’t the cheapest, she said they provide the best value and usefulness.
“For me, the hardest part was getting the district to realize they HAD a transportation department,” she said, eliciting a roomful of cheers. Prioritizing student safety and collaborating with special education departments helps ensure students with special needs are provided the transportation service they need and are legally required to have.
LoWanda Bowman-Brown, transportation director for City Schools of Decatur in Georgia for the past 11 years, said that paper route sheets had proved inadequate while a technology company they recruited had struggled with modifying technology to fit the smaller district’s needs.
She advised districts to pick what software best fits their unique needs and have the IT team involved the whole way.
“We’re going to need technology but we’re also going to need people.”
LoWanda Bowman-Brown, Transportation Director, City Schools of Decatur (Ga.)
Annette “Kecia” Ling, transportation director at Savannah-Chatham County Public School System in Georgia, oversees 460 school buses serving over 20,000 students. She said she looked for a solution that her staff and parents would be comfortable with and praised Transfinder’s ability to reduce the time spent on routing.
She noted that going away from paper route sheets which could get wet or damaged along the way made it easier for drivers and, by extension, transportation administration. Technology also helps drivers complete tiered routes, she noted, or quickly take over a substitute route in a pinch. For students with special needs, which the district calls “extraordinary students,” it makes their pertinent information readily available for the driver and attendant.
Sandy Dillman, director of transportation for Tomball Independent School District in Texas, leads 200 drivers and attendants who transport 13,000 students daily. She sad that when she started, the internet didn’t really exist and written paper routes caused confusion. She reviewed the districts of various sizes that she’d worked with over her decades in the industry and underscored that preemptive parent communication is essential to remove burdens from transportation’s daily load.
With school bus technology, “everything is at your fingertips and ready to go where it needs to go,” she said.
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A Kansas school bus driver trainer in the audience noted that integration is important so a parent can sign their student up as a bus rider and transportation can easily add them onto a route.
In answer to an attendee question about information sharing to drivers and aides, Ling shared that such information is controlled on the Transfinder side so drivers can only see what they need to know on their tablets.
Sawyer added that notes can be added on student triggers or behaviors that drivers and aides should be aware of. Byrd with Transfinder noted that symbols can be used as such notations instead of labels.
Sometimes technology is required to meet district administrative goals, as was the case for Bowman-Brown in Decatur. Ling advised coming up with a technology implementation process that worked for everyone who needed to be in contact with it.
“Teamwork is the secret sauce that allows common leaders the ability to accomplish unrealistic expectations and achieve uncommon goals in uncommon circumstances.”
– Annette “Kecia” Ling, Transportation Director, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (Ga.)
Dillman praised the peace of mind that comes for both transportation staff and parents in knowing where each student is at any given time. Rather than getting a panicked “we lost a kid” call, staff can be notified of a student who didn’t scan off the bus and easily look up that student’s daily scan details.
Attendee Steven Fernandez, who is director of transportation for Modesto City Schools in California and has 40 years of experience in student transportation, reviewed his progression from handwritten paper route sheets to Excel spreadsheets, and finally to Transfinder’s electronic records and routing. He shared that previously new students were inconsistently added to whatever driver’s route was convenient, but now they are added to the best-fitting and most efficient route.
Another attendee shared that with just two routers she is able to leverage technology to handle all routing needs, readily assign a student to a bus, or easily locate a missing student. “It’s priceless to have that technology,” she stated.
“It’s a game changer,” agreed Bowman-Brown.
The panelists noted that electronic record-keeping, data sorting and report creating helps speed the state reporting process up, reduces human errors, and provides peace of mind. Ling added that they greatly assist emergency responders as well.
Ling also shared how she uses smart routing to add extraordinary students to general education routes, with an attendant if necessary, to better assist their developmental and social goals, as well as achieve better operational efficiency.
Transfinder provides this “very valuable data at the click of a button,” she stated.
When implementing new technology, Bowman-Brown advised giving school bus drivers and aides both training and time to adjust. Allow staff to give feedback and make decisions too, Ling added. Dillman recommended participating in professional development and seeking advice from other districts. Sawyer noted that the patience pays off in the end with efficiencies for all.
One attendee suggested adding new technology in phases so as to not overwhelm driver. Others said that staff members who are tech-savvy can assist those who aren’t, as well as keep morale up and avoid resentment over the new procedures.
Attendee Lisa Connors, director of transportation for Peabody Public Schools in Massachusetts and a student transporter with almost 30 years of experience, shared her excitement for routing technology to save her a lot of man-hours, late nights and stress. “Right now, we’re just using my brain,” she said.
Byrd noted that both technology and staff knowledge must be utilized for a successful operation. “Technology can’t replace a Lisa,” he remarked.
“We’re going to need technology but we’re also going to need people,” concluded Bowman-Brown.
Byrd noted that technology can be a means to a lasting legacy of positive change in a district. The panelists closed with their technology wishes for the future, which mostly centered on safety for students with special needs.
FRISCO, Texas – The Hands-on School Bus Evacuations for Students with Special Needs & Preschoolers class took place on both Friday and Saturday at Frisco ISD. Instructors included industry veterans and consultants Denny Coughlin and Launi Harden; Aaron Harris, national sales manager for seating manufacturer BESI; and Diandra Neugent, transportation manager for the Community Council of Idaho.
Classroom instruction and quiz time was followed by hands-on practice with fire extinguishers. Fake smoke was used to fill a bus on which were placed hidden dolls representing student riders. Participants braved the smoke to “rescue” the students, with some becoming emotional.
FRISCO, Texas — Several federal laws that define the transportation of students with disabilities and special needs have been updated recently or may be amended soon demand the attention of school districts and private contractors, said a lawyer who specializes in the subject area.
Betsey Helfrich opened the TSD Conference on Sunday. She has successfully represented school districts against a variety of claims in state and federal courts as well as in administrative and special education due process hearings. She also conducts local and national training on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and all areas of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Helfrich began by pointing out changes earlier this year to Title IX, which is commonly associated only with women’s sports. However, the law has broader implications for sex discrimination in federal programs that also affect school districts and transportation departments.
The new guidelines took effect on Aug. 1 except in 21 states that filed lawsuits to block their implementation. Helfrich encouraged audience members to research the law’s current status in their states.
Noting that Title IX requires the investigation of sexual harassment or sexual assault complaints, Helfrich cautioned against rote practices that could create legal hazards for a district, such as coding into the discipline system an incident on the school bus as an “assault.”
“Be really mindful if you or a driver are writing and coding something as sexual assault or sexual harassment … that we are also passing that info along to our Title IX coordinator,” she said. “Don’t code something as sexual harassment and end it there.”
She also cautioned resting on the laurels of simply reporting it, for example to a principal. She advised ensuring an investigation is completed an that a Title IX coordinator has made a determination that the misconduct rises to a legal level. “Sexual harassment has a very specific definition. So, just because something inappropriate happened it must mean it rose to that level.” she added.
Every school that receives federal funds is required under the law to have a Title IX coordinator. An overhaul is likely coming to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, which protects children under the age of 13 from the distribution of their personal information without parental consent. Proposed legislation would raise that age to 17.
“We should have new regs by this time next year. How does it affect your daily life? Probably not a ton, except it really impacts the vendors that we contract with that keep student information systems,” Helfrich said. “Our vendors are going to have to be very careful going forward after these new regs about the information they have. … We can only contract with someone who promises not to sell our students’ information to someone else.”
Like COPPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of student data. Amendments are pending. Because the law was enacted in 1974 and sets guidelines for how records must be kept, its provisions largely revolve around the keeping of paper records.
“Hardly anything is paper anymore. We keep our records electronically, everything’s in the cloud, we have apps, we have student information systems, so FERPA really does need an overhaul,” she said. “There’s new proposed regs, nothing new right now, but keep in on your radar for next year. We might have some new requirements about how we keep records.”
Helfrich said a U.S. Supreme Court ruling about an issue totally unrelated to education could also have an impact on litigation involving school districts. The landmark case, Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, involved whether the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) could require commercial fishing operations to pay the cost of government monitors assigned to their boats.
The justices concluded the NMFS did not have the power to make the rule, overriding the principle of the longstanding “Chevron deference” that directed courts to defer to an agency’s reasonable interpretation of an ambiguity in a law that the agency enforces.
“You might see more schools challenging statutes and regulations directly in court. It’s a little bit more school-friendly to not have Chevron deference,” she said. “So, what does that mean in the Department of Education? They might not have as much power to issue these guidance documents that schools have to follow.”
Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) guidelines under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) require school districts to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities, including transportation. Of the 50.8 million K-12 students in the U.S. as of the fall of 2022, about 21 million rode school buses and approximately 7.5 million students were covered by the IDEA.
“It’s highly regulated and really unwavering,” she said. “There’s not a lot of flexibility with the IDEA,” Helfrich said. “It always goes back to FAPE.”
Meanwhile, Section 504, passed in 1973 as part of the civil rights movement, protects students and adults with disabilities from discrimination in places of public accommodation.
“Schools often say we don’t have to do this in our before-school or after-school programs because they’re voluntary, [for example] summer school, we don’t have to worry about that because it’s optional. That is definitely not true,” she said. “You see more cases in that area than really anything. If we opt to have a program, it has to be nondiscriminatory.”
The danger to school districts is that Section 504 “is loose-goosey, it’s not as regulated but it’s more dangerous” because it includes monetary damages for people who have been discriminated against.
“Parents can file discrimination lawsuits under Section 504 and seek monetary damages,” she continued.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights processed the highest number of such cases last year, resolving 45 percent more cases than the past record.
“It’s free to file. It’s very easy to file an OCR complaint. You don’t have to be represented by an attorney and then the OCR comes in and investigates. Let’s say an incident happened on the bus so they’re claiming discrimination against the bus driver. That driver will be interviewed. You as the director will be interviewed. The special education director will be interviewed,” she noted.
“Usually the superintendent, too. Anybody involved in this case will be interviewed. They always say, ‘Who is your 504 coordinator? Who’s in charge of investigating discrimination cases in your district?’” she continued. “And, literally, nine out of 10 times, the principal says somebody else, the counselor says somebody else, the bus driver says somebody, and the superintendent always says, ‘It’s not me. I don’t know who it is. It ain’t me’ and the OCR investigator is writing furiously. That is one easy thing to control.”
She urged audience members to return to their districts and train drivers about the district’s coordinator in case a parent mentions a potential disability complaint. Sharing that information on a single slide and keeping that slide “will go a long way to start out on the right foot,” she said.
Helfrich outlined a handful of recent court cases, including several that went against districts. She contended that the districts’ cases could have been strengthened by transportation departments being more involved in the writing of individual education plans.
Instead, all too often, those plans are written without such expertise and districts become locked into unrealistic requirements. And, many times IEPs include services that aren’t even needed yet lock the transportation department into expensive commitments.
“And once it’s in the contract, it’s there,” she warned. “Even if a parent is saying, ‘we didn’t want it’ at first, they’re going to want it.”
She cautioned case outcomes often tilt in favor of the parents of children with disabilities and special needs, particularly when school personnel mishandle interactions and neglect to properly document actions. “Juries and courts hate when schools say, ‘We don’t do that because if we do it for you, we’ll have to do it for everyone,’” she added.
Helfrich concluded with the joking rejoinder, “Do not let this scare you into resignation. Honestly, as long as you act reasonably, really think through, individualize, each student’s situation you honestly are going to be OK in this area. Keep your good common sense. Keep being good people, and it’s all going to be OK.”
The day opened with special education attorney Betsey Helfrich’s keynote on “Avoiding the Bumps and Legal Hazards” in the transportation of special education students, followed by a general session on preventing sexual abuse during transportation led by Christy Schiller, vice president of consulting at Praesidium, Inc.
More sessions were held on technology usage, driver training, risk management, and transporting medically fragile students. The day closed with a tailgate-themed reception and dinner held on the trade show floor, providing attendees and vendors with a casual and interactive networking event.
FRISCO, Texas — Craig Beaver of Beaverton School District near Portland, Oregon, was awarded the STN Transportation Director of the Year award. Behavior specialist Patrick Mulick presented a morning keynote exploring strategies for helping students with autism bring out the best in themselves every day.
Offsite, the roadeo and training competition and the Hands-on School Bus Evacuations for Students with Special Needs & Preschoolers class took place at Frisco ISD locations.
Sessions continued on topics including positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS), parent communication, school bus Wi-Fi, student transition plans, wheelchair crash test research, the impact of driver and budget shortages, understanding the federally recognized 13 disabilities, and more.
FRISCO, Texas — School transportation professionals at every level can ease the extreme fear and stress that students with autism experience each day and help them reach their full potential by shifting conventional thinking about service delivery.
That was the message from keynote speaker Patrick Mulick to start Saturday’s session at TSD Conference. Accomplishing those goals are part of the transportation department’s duty but will create a tremendous sense of joy and accomplishment said Mulick, who is also the director of student engagement for the Auburn School District in Washington and a board certified behavior analyst.
“We get to be part of their stories. We get to help shape their worlds and help unlock the autism they carry around with them. I feel such joy when I reflect on the faces that I’ve had a change to impact and I look at the work ahead and I look at the faces we have now,” said Mulick who relayed the stories of students that he played has helped over the years. “For you, you have faces, you have names in front of you every single day. What you do for them matters. So, feel that sense of purpose but that sense of responsibility that we need to step up and do what’s right for these kids that not given everything they need for life. These kids need us to be at our best in supporting them. So, continue to go the extra mile for them. They’re certainly worth it.”
Mulick, a popular speaker delivering his fourth keynote address at a TSD Conference, said one reason his remarks focused on autism was due to its rising prevalence. In 1975, one in 5,000 children. “Today, it’s one in 36. This data is four years old and there’s great variance from state to state. California is one in 26,” he stated.
He encouraged his audience to remember that every person with autism is an individual and they should never have a preconceived based on well-known people on the autism spectrum, such as Elon Musk, or someone they personally know. “If you know one person with autism, you know one person with autism. That’s it,” he added. “We need to be careful not to categorize persons with autism.”
Mulick said that he spent the summer of 2000 working with a non-verbal, 4-year-old girl with autism who had behavioral issues related to her disability. Within weeks, she began to speak three-word sentences. Children with autism “know what they want to say but can’t get the words out,” Mulick said.
“There’s a person in there dying to get out but they do not understand the world and the world does not understand them. When she could speak, it gave her autonomy,” he said. “What I was able to do was unlock autism,” he continued.
The experience convinced him that he wanted to devote his life to helping autistic children succeed.
Mulick explained that the education system has broken down numerous barriers to equality over the decades. However, he added, considerable work remains in the realm of services for children with disabilities and special needs.
“For (them), the conversation goes to the kid as the problem,” he said.
Noting that school buses have been redesigned to accommodate students with accessibility challenges, he insists school transportation needs to be rethought and redesigned to better serve children with special needs, including autism.
Mulick cited a quote from psychologist and author Ross W. Greene, “Behaviorally challenging kids are challenging because they’re lacking the skills to not be challenging.”
He added, “When we think of students with autism on our bus, instead of asking, ‘What’s wrong with them?’ We really need to be asking, ‘What are they experiencing and how can we help them?’”
He shared a 12-point strategy to improve the transportation process and everyday life for students with autism:
1. Get out of our silos. School personnel and transportation departments can and should use all appropriate technology tools to communicate proactively and more effectively when problems arise. It is not helpful for drivers to receive a 26-page individualized education program. Instead, drivers need to receive a student transportation plan with the necessary information to help them safely transport students and support positive behavior.
2. Visualize expectations with pictures. Students with autism may miss words but a laminated sheet with pictures of instructions will provide a child with guidance and reassurance day in and day out. Mulick shared the story of a boy with autism who had been hitting himself because of the stress of his daily school bus rides. Individualized instructions for “show safe hands” included a picture of a hand firmly planted on the bus seat. The boy drew an outline of his hand on his usual seat, too. “Yes, that’s graffiti but it’s much better than him hitting himself,” Mulick said.
3. Give voice. “Behavior is communication. If you don’t give your student a voice, then you leave them with no other choice.”
4. Engage. Give children with autism time to process information. Always state their name first and be careful with phrasing.
5. Value the routine. Surprises are scary. “If it is routine, then it is predictable. If it’s predictable, it’s reliable. If it’s reliable then it can be trusted. And if it can be trusted then it’s safe,” he said. For that reason, don’t tell a child on a random day that they have to sit in a different seat.
6. Warn about changes. Let the child with autism know well in advance if the school bus driver is going on vacation or there’s a change of bus number, assigned seat, route or other riders.
7. Get them engaged. The biggest transition and potential anxiety in an autistic child’s day is the ride to and from school. Ensuring they have something to engage with is a source of comfort. “The engaged mind forgets to misbehave.”
8. Be careful with the collaboration at the handoff. Avoid chit chat. If the conversation is about the child, bring them into the conversation. Even if they’re nonverbal, don’t pretend they aren’t there.
9. Be Mindful of unique fears and fixations.
10. Reframe deficits into strengths. Convert lessons into child’s favorite fixation. Mulick shared several effective examples, including creating a “Jedi Tool Kit” that provided a range of de-escalation actions for a child fascinated with “Star Wars.”
11. Use today’s knowledge for today’s challenges. “When we know better, we can do better. There are old ways we need to move away from,” he said. Mulick shared that when he took a job in 2011 there was a 1980s-era cassette tape in his desk. Several in the room gasped when he showed a slide with its title: “Working with Angry, Rage-filled Children.” He noted that the increase in board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) positions – from 780 in 2010 to 65,366 in 2023 – is an example of a new resource that can be accessed.
12. Don’t force it. Forcing a child with autism to do something they don’t want to do will often lead to behavioral outbursts. “If it’s not going to work for the student, it’s not going to work for the student.”)
Mulick offered one final piece of advice: “When you work with kids with autism, you should be learning with them every day.”
The audience listens as Patrick Mulick presents on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. Photo by Vincent Rios Creative.
FRISCO, Texas — Plano Independent School District located just miles from the TSD Conference this weekend claimed the top two spots in the annual roadeo and training competition as Texas continued its dominance of the event.
The team of Andwain Coleman and Mohmed Omera tied coworkers Mohsen Al Asad and Nabila Audi with scores of 889 out of a possible 1,020 points. Alexandra Robinson, the lead coordinator for the roadeo organizer Women in Transportation. (wit.) group and a TSD Conference Tenured Faculty member, said during a banquet Saturday night hosted by lead sponsor Q’Straint/Sure-Lok that the roadeo judges broke the tie by comparing times for finishing the event.
Coleman and Omera clinched the victory as their time was six minutes faster than that of Al Asad and Audi. Robinson said it was the first time in the roadeo’s 30-year history that such a tiebreaker was needed. It was the fourth consecutive win for a Texas team over the dating back to 2019. The competition was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The team of Elizabeth Berninger and Jennifer Gue representing the Washington Association for Pupil Transportation took home third place with a score of 885 points. Ten teams competed at host Frisco ISD in 9 events or stations and also took a written test.
Coleman finished second in last year’s competition and said he partnered with Omera earlier this year after his previous partner was promoted to a different position. It was Coleman’s third consecutive year competing in the event. This was Omera’s second national competition.
When asked about their confidence following the competition, Coleman said, “Ain’t nobody perfect, I know we had some mess ups there, but I know overall we did pretty good.”
Coleman and Omera both have been driving for Plano ISD for the past six school years, with Coleman previously driving a truck for 20 years.
Looking ahead, Coleman and Omera confirmed they plan to compete at the roadeo competition and training next year, as they already won their Texas district competition. The next step is competing in regionals in March.
When discussing the challenges of their Plano ISD school bus routes, Coleman and Omera cited student behavior and other motorists on the road as the biggest daily challenges they face.
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