Two seasoned student transportation directors shared how utilizing routing technology can help build a positive workplace culture and reduce school bus driver shortages plaguing student transporters today.

Adrian Frierson, director of transportation for Hanover County Public Schools in Virginia, has been in student transportation since 2007, including serving as transportation specialist for the Virginia Department of Education for eight years.

Duane Peterson, transportation director for Jackson County Schools and past president of the Georgia Association for Pupil Transportation, started his career driving a school bus in 1986.

Both transportation directors agreed during a Tuesday webinar presented by School Transportation News that efforts like providing healthy wages, social media praise for one bus driver a week, and a Bus Driver of the Year program can boost the team culture.

They both utilize banners, social media, signup referrals, and bonuses to recruit drivers.

“It all comes down to the culture of people saying, “I want to work here,’” Peterson declared.

“Everyone loves encouragement,” agreed Tammy Cook, senior transportation advisor for webinar sponsor and school bus technology provider TransAct Communications.

Frierson noted that it’s important to have adequate staff and equipment to deal with a routine day’s work as well as unexpected events.

Why Route Building is Important

Operationally, Peterson shared that route building was crucial. He said using two- or three-tiered routing and building routes that could easily be taken on by another school bus driver were effective ways to deal with unexpected staff callouts.

“We cut about 30 routes, which gained 30 drivers for other routes,” he related.

Furthermore, he said switching from door-to-door transportation to assigned stops helps improve efficiencies and provide enough drivers for regular and field trip routes. Making sure routes are full but not overloaded helps keep driver stress low and satisfaction up.

“It all comes back to the culture in your department, that you’re supporting your drivers while staying efficient,” he stated.

Frierson agreed that smart and efficient routing helps drivers feel safe and unrushed, contributing to a good workplace culture.

How Technology Can Help

Having tablets loaded with turn-by-turn directions was initially met with apprehension but has become a favorite with his school bus drivers, Peterson said. It helps the drivers confidently take over a route that needs to be covered, since the information is right at their fingertips. It also provides support for his school bus drivers if a parent claims their stop was skipped and proves that administration has the employee’s back.

With students being added to routes throughout the school year, Peterson noted the importance of families notifying the transportation department that their child needs service before sending them to the bus stop on their first day, which contributes to overcrowding and driver stress. Use the technology to everyone’s benefit, he advised.

Reevaluating routes annually can help uncover new efficiencies, Frierson said, a tactic he learned from his previous school district experience.

Cook underscored the importance of taking a step back and being creative to discover new efficiencies. TransAct’s Sandbox feature, for example, allows users to experiment with and preview changes before making them live, which Frierson said he finds helpful.

“You have to figure out a way to utilize your resources within the time you have,” he said.

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Related: Turning School Bus Driver Shortages Into Opportunities
Related: Ease Your Staffing Shortages
Related: Rural Virginia Counties Move Needle on School Bus Driver Shortage
Related: Kentucky Students Release Rap Video in Response to School Bus Driver Shortage
Related: (STN Podcast E213) Onsite at STN EXPO Indy: Driver Shortage & School Bus Safety Convos

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Cook also advised using software-created stop consolidation and walk zones along with review and insight from transportation staff to ensure the stops are safe. Peterson confirmed that this technique helped cut down route times and free up a driver for another route.

TransAct has multiple ways to build or upload routes, Cook affirmed, including capturing them while being driven.

Having one integrated technology platform has been helpful, Peterson added. This way, a new student can be added in the morning and show up on the parent app and bus route immediately.

Tips and Techniques

“Seconds add up to minutes, and minutes add up to being on time or being late,” quipped Frierson. He advised opening dialogue with stakeholders, including parents, teachers and coaches, to make sure any routing changes work well for them too.

In answering an attendee question about how to incentivize drivers to accept new routes, Frierson confirmed that he offers them bonuses to do so.

Cook stated that using technology to quickly determine which students are eligible for transportation makes it easier for staff to include them on bus routes.

Monthly headcounts help purge students who are signed up to ride but never do, Peterson said. That process changes to weekly after a sports season ends, as the transportation department works to avoid both bus overcrowding and overlong routes.

To deal with callouts, both transportation directors said they have implemented “floaters” to act as substitute drivers. Peterson shared that monitors are primarily on special needs routes, and several of them have their CDLs as well.

Both directors said sports team coaches are looking to drive school buses while drivers are being recruited to also work kitchen and custodial roles. But getting teachers to drive buses can interfere with their contracts and hours.

Watch the webinar on demand. 

The post Using School Bus Routing to Improve Workplace Culture, Retain Drivers appeared first on School Transportation News.

An Economic Policy Institute study shows that school bus driver employment is still far below pre-pandemic levels. This means almost every district will likely face a driver shortage at some point. But the good news is that there are several strategies districts can try, either on their own or by combining different approaches, to tackle these challenges.

Join us to explore practical approaches for dealing with a driver (or bus) shortage, including:

• Student eligibility management
• Route tiering/bell schedule alignment
• Route/stop optimization

Brought to you by TransAct

REGISTER BELOW:

 

Presenters:

Duane Peterson
Transportation Director
Jackson County Schools
–
President
Georgia Association for Pupil Transportation (GAPT)

Peterson started driving a school bus in 1986 while he was still in high school, where he drove for several years in the Athens, Georgia, area. After completing secondary school, he did his student teaching at Alps Road Elementary. He entered the private sector for several years before joining Oconee County Schools in 2005. He was Route Coordinator for a year before moving to Director of Transportation. He stayed there before joining Jackson County Schools in March of 2023 as Transportation Director, where he is still employed. Peterson is currently on the Executive Board of GAPT and a member of NASDPTS. He is married with 3 children and one grandchild with one more on the way.

Adrian Frierson
Director of Transportation
Hanover County Public Schools

Hanover County Public Schools has approximately 17,000 students and 24 schools operating within 2 tiers. They employ 190 bus drivers and 70 other support staff & administrative staff. Hanover County is located within the Greater Richmond Region.

Adrian Frierson is also an appointed board member, by the Governor, to the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities. He has 20 years of experience in the public safety and school transportation combined.

Previous experiences include:
– Supervisor of Bus Operations for Prince William County Public Schools
– Assistant Director of Student Transportation, Special Education, Chesterfield County Public Schools
– Transportation Specialist at the Virginia Department of Education
– Transportation Supervisor for Henrico Public Schools
– Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officer, VA State Police.

Tammy Cook
Senior Transportation Advisor
TransAct Communications

Before joining the TransACT team, Cook founded the App-Garden and led her team to create the Travel Tracker field trip product. She has worked extensively with K-12 school districts for over 30 years in finance and school transportation.

“I love helping school districts solve their daily challenges with the use of our technology and experienced personnel. Each district has their own challenges and helping to navigate those challenges Is the favorite part of my job,” Cook says.

The post (Free Webinar) Addressing Driver (& Bus) Shortages: 3 Creative and Measurable Strategies that Really Work appeared first on School Transportation News.

A panel of experts shared the benefits of Wi-Fi on school buses and walked student transporters through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) E-rate funding application process.

The FCC says its E-Rate program “makes telecommunications and information services more affordable for schools and libraries.” Ben Moebes, director of public sector sales for Thursday’s webinar sponsor Ericsson Enterprise Wireless, noted that this was the first time school bus Wi-Fi was included in the federal program to discount the cost of installing internet connectivity for schools and libraries.

He reviewed benefits of having Wi-Fi on school buses, including access to internet for homework during routes, which is beneficial for students with long commutes, field trips and athletic events. It also supports increased access for underserved students and improved digital equity.

“The FCC has been very focused on closing the homework gap,” he noted. “[The bus ride] may be the only time [students] have outside of school to do that.”

How does the E-Rate program work?

 

“An eligible school or library (see eligibility definitions) identifies goods or services it needs and submits a request for competitive bids to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). USAC posts these requests on its website for vendors to bid on. After reviewing the vendors’ bids, the school or library selects the most cost-effective eligible products and services using price as the primary factor. It then applies to USAC for approval for the desired purchases.

 

“Next, USAC issues funding commitments to eligible applicants. When a vendor provides the selected services, either the vendor or the applicant submits requests to USAC for reimbursement of the approved discounts.

 

“The bid request and competitive bidding processes must comply with FCC rules and also state and local procurement requirements.“

 

Source: FCC.gov

Jim Kerr, principal E-rate consultant with KB & Associates, reviewed the updated and streamlined E-rate application process and timeline. It begins with submitting bids in July through February, after which there is a short window in January through March to fill out and file Form 471. Technology installation and service start is from April through August and finally, funding is distributed from July to September.

He advised a coverage map be included along with the application. If a district makes edits, like updating the number of bus Wi-Fi units needed, it restarts the application process.

“The earlier you apply, the further along in the line you are to get your application reviewed, and the sooner you get your application funded,” he stated.

Once a district applies and selects a partner, he said, it is easier to complete the annual application process. He encouraged districts to be cognizant of timelines so that they can be reimbursed even if they add additional bus Wi-Fi units after receiving the initial award.

Director of Strategy Gene Ballard noted that school bus Wi-Fi solutions provider Kajeet started in education and “built a solution based on what educators needed.” It has over 2,500 customers, the majority in the K-12 space, and over 6 million internet connections across 173 countries.

He confirmed that compatibility with multiple carriers is important, and Kajeet utilizes an e-SIM card, which automatically selects the best connection. Its Sentinel portal allows transportation and district staff to block websites, monitor the student devices connected and what they are being used for, and access easy data reporting. The ruggedized Kajeet hardware can be permanently installed or portable.

“This is something our students need and can benefit from,” Moebes said. He shared that with onboard Wi-Fi, school districts are reporting student behavior is improved and school bus drivers are happier and stay at their jobs longer, which are both pain points often cited by student transporters.

Ballard agreed that having students engaged and quiet allows drivers to better focus on road safety. It further prevents the time-consuming process of student discipline.

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Related: FCC Approves Funding of School Wi-Fi in E-Rate Program
Related: Webinar Covers E-Rate 101 for School Bus Wi-Fi
Related: Benefits of School Bus Wi-Fi Discussed at STN EXPO
Related: Webinar Addresses School Bus Wi-Fi Myths, E-Rate Funding
Related: Webinar Shares School Bus Wi-Fi Implementation Story, Tips
Related: (STN Podcast E192) Extension of the Classroom: New Federal Funds for School Bus Wi-Fi

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STN Publisher Tony Corpin, who hosted the webinar, noted that school bus connectivity can be beneficial for students with special needs. The panelists confirmed that E-Rate funding excludes vans but includes Type A buses.

Moebes suggested getting a small number of buses equipped with Wi-Fi to test service and experience the benefits first-hand.

Understanding the process and having a good partner is what simplifies the endeavor so students and transportation staff both benefit, he explained.

“Let’s build something that’s realistic and sustainable and helps the kids as well as the transportation directors and drivers,” he encouraged.

“You don’t have to become an expert. We are here to help you,” Ballard said of Kajeet.

Watch the webinar on demand.

The post Webinar Gives Tips for Simplifying School Bus Wi-Fi E-Rate Process appeared first on School Transportation News.

Working to achieve energy resilience isn’t just about implementing electric school buses into a district fleet. It also keeps students and communities served during natural disasters and power outages.

An information-packed webinar examined U.S. electric school bus adoption rates and challenges while sharing stories of several school districts that achieved energy resilience for emergency preparedness and low-emissions goals.

Numbers Increasing

Marcus Gilmore, senior advisor of clean mobility strategy for webinar sponsor ENGIE North America, shared on Wednesday that over 12,000 electric school buses (ESBs) serving approximately 230,000 students across 49 U. S. states were awarded, ordered, delivered, or are operating as of this June. The stats are courtesy of the World Resources Institute Electric School Bus Initiative data dashboard, which indicates that 12,241 ESBs were committed as of Oct. 1.

California unsurprisingly leads with 3,110 buses. New York, Maryland, Florida, Virginia and Texas each have anywhere from 385-764 buses. Georgia, Oregon, Oklahoma, Mississippi and South Carolina are in the game with over a hundred buses each.

“This leadership is driven by state policies and funding programs,” he explained. “Understanding these factors can help improve adoption rates.”

The rollout will continue as California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New York, and Washington state all have binding school bus transition goals while other states have non-binding goals or have ESB-promoting legislation in the works.

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Related: Low-income Areas Need Electric School Buses the Most, WRI Analysis Indicates
Related: Training School Bus Technicians for an Electric Fleet
Related: WATCH: STN EXPO Reno Live Stream – The Scalability of Electric School Buses

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Sources of funding include the historic U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program that has awarded $2.8 billion to school districts to date, with more funding to come. In the latest round, applicants can request funds for 25 to 50 buses, doubled from the previous round. Eligible replacement buses can be electric, CNG or propane, and there are scrappage requirements for old buses.

For better acceptance chances, he encouraged districts to have a complete, detailed application that focuses on community improvement.

Gilmore also highlighted regional funding programs in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Illinois, Colorado and California.

EPA also expects 70 percent of the $932 million available through the Clean Heavy Duty Vehicles Program to go toward school buses.

Neal Bartek, ENGIE’s project director of microgrids, noted that federal agencies and utilities can also help with funding for infrastructure projects.

Challenges & Solutions

Before ordering electric school buses, districts may face a lack of funding, charging infrastructure, or even of the awareness of the benefits of these vehicles. These, Gilmore said, can be solved with research, government funding and collaboration with utilities.

“It’s crucial to have a clear strategy and to make sure you have effective stakeholder engagement when you’re in the initial stages of planning for your fleet transition,” Gilmore said.

He also advised collaborating with utilities “frequently and early.”

He added that it’s important to know details like which chargers will fit with which buses and what routes the buses will be running, so the correctly specified equipment can be procured. “Definitely build flexibility into your plan,” he said, since this technology is rapidly developing.

Gilmore shared that some tech schools can help train district staff on ESBs and that ENGIE is available to help as well.

ENGIE can help districts find and apply for grants they may have missed, he added.

School Districts Seek Energy Resilience

Neal Bartek, ENGIE’s project director of microgrids, dove into the topic of energy resilience, which is defined as the ability to withstand and rapidly recover from power outages and continue operating energy-dependent services. He explained that a resilient power system reduces the likelihood of long-duration outages, limits the scope and impact of outages when they do occur, and rapidly restores power after an outage.

Driving this demand is climate change and natural disasters like Hurricanes Helene and Milton that recently struck Florida, increasing energy demands, cybersecurity concerns, decarbonization goals like the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, technology advancements in renewable energy and batteries, and more.

Sustainable microgrids are a large part of this conversation, Bartek said. In a school transportation setting, the infrastructure typically consists of onsite solar photovoltaic (PV) generation, battery energy storage, a source of backup generation, smart chargers, and integrated microgrid controller.

When the grid is operating normally, these can be used to lower utility costs, he explained. When the grid is disrupted, they function independently to continue to power necessary components like buses and buildings.

He reviewed the situation of Santa Barbara Unified School District in Southern California, where schools served as safe havens during the Thomas Fire in December 2017. To better prepare for the future, district staff started looking into energy resiliency solutions to preserve critical energy loads during emergencies and power outages.

ENGIE’s comprehensive solar PV and microgrid solution was selected with the company completing system design, installation and maintenance. This was financed by a 28-year, no money down, Power Purchase Agreement, where ENGIE maintains ownership and maintenance responsibilities of the system.

Santa Barbara USD now has the benefits of operating critical facilities during power outages, backing up lighting, food storage, data and communication systems; reducing its utility bills with about 90 percent of the district’s annual energy needs met by solar; and having expert operations and maintenance handled by ENGIE.

The El Dorado Union High School District (EDUHSD) serves approximately 7,000 high school students in central California. Increasing prevalence of wildfires in the county has led to utility-mandated public safety power shutoff events.

EDUHSD had previously successfully mitigated its rising electricity costs by partnering with ENGIE to install solar PV panels on its parking shade structures. It next retrofitted three schools with LED lighting to reduce energy consumption and turned two campuses into sustainable microgrids by adding solar PV panels, battery energy storage, and a diesel generator which only kicks in when battery levels fall below 20 percent.

“The district’s schools can operate regardless of utility outages and can support the local community as a place of shelter and access,” Bartek shared.

He confirmed that EDUHSD achieved $6.4 million in net cost savings over the life of the project, a 77 percent reduction in consumption of electricity from the grid, and the carbon emissions reduction equivalent to removing 120 cars from the road.

“The ability to create a predictable environment where we can open and power our schools, and keep our students in class, regardless of what is happening with the grid, is wonderful,” said Superintendent Ron Carruth.

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Related: Webinar Takes Student Transporters Into eBus Express Lane
Related: (STN Podcast E221) EV Prognostication, Garage Star Perspective on NY Electric Pioneer Suffolk
Related: Electric School Bus Manufacturing Included in Nearly $2B Federal Energy Grant
Related: Updated: Rising Insurance? Additional Balancing Act Needed Amid Electric School Bus Push

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Located in northern San Diego County, San Marcos Unified School District serves 19,500 students in a 55-square mile territory that extends into four cities. In planning for an electric bus fleet, district officials needed to ensure continuity of operations during emergencies and other grid interruptions.

The district partnered with ENGIE to install 40 ESB chargers with smart charging software, electrical infrastructure for 35 future chargers, onsite solar PV and battery energy storage, and microgrid controls and backup generation. Bartek said this resulted in a $40 million net energy cost savings, including 46 percent reduction in electricity costs.

LED lighting, battery energy storage, and HVAC mechanical replacements were also installed.

“There are a lot of incentives out there. I got really lucky finding ENGIE. They’ve been a great partner to work with,” stated Executive Director of Transportation Mike Sawyer.

Bartek noted that energy resilience can be used to provide food, shelter and warmth for displaced residents or emergency service providers.

He also reviewed factors ENGIE needs to know when planning and sizing an energy resiliency system, such as what the current infrastructure is like, how much load districts need backed up, for how long, and how fiscally conscious they need to be.

Watch the webinar on demand.

The post Webinar Reviews Community Benefits of School Bus Electrification appeared first on School Transportation News.

LISLE, Ill. — Please join IC Bus for a detailed webinar for customers in states adopting EPA, CARB and GHG regulations in 2025 and how they will affect us in the coming years. We will also go over the new bundled solutions and how they can help our customers in their zero emissions journey.

We will be offering a date for ACT only adopting states and ACT + Omnibus adopting states. Please register for the webinar date/ time below that works best for your situation by clicking the corresponding link below.

• Date: Thursday, October 17, 2024
  Time: 12:00 – 1:00 PM CT
  For: 2025 ACT Only Adopting States (NJ, NY, WA)
  Register for this webinar.
• Date: Friday, October 18, 2024
  Time: 12:00 – 1:00 PM CT
  For: 2025 ACT + Omnibus Adopting States (CA, MA, OR)
  Register for this webinar.

The post Join IC Bus For Legislative Update Webinars appeared first on School Transportation News.

School bus electrification in the US has come a long way in the past decade, with especially robust growth in the past two years. School districts across the nation have committed to purchasing more than 12,000 electric buses, and there are over 3,500 already on the road.

Though broadly positive, these results don’t tell the whole story. In fact, districts vary widely in their progress on the fleet electrification journey. Those in the earliest stages are working on obtaining buy-in and making sense of constantly evolving funding incentive programs. Those that have ordered vehicles must carefully time and plan the deployment of supportive infrastructure. And those that already have vehicles in operation are navigating energy cost management and resiliency challenges.

This new webinar sponsored by ENGIE North America will update K-12 fleet professionals on the current state of bus fleet electrification, explore technical requirements, and help prepare business cases for each stage of the journey.

Drawing on a long history of providing eMobility and other sustainable energy solutions to K-12 districts, ENGIE experts will share:

• A breakdown of adoption rates and trends: national, regional, and equity-focused
• A review of recent and upcoming incentive programs, with application windows
• Challenges and best practices for each fleet electrification stage
• Case studies on deployments of eMobility infrastructure, including the latest trend in K-12: sustainable microgrids

Brought to you by ENGIE North America

REGISTER BELOW:

 

Presenters:

Marcus Gilmore
Senior Advisor, Clean Mobility Strategy
ENGIE North America

Gilmore has over a decade of experience in the clean energy sector, leading impactful sustainability initiatives for corporations, cities, and governments. At ENGIE, he works with organizations to develop and implement strategies for transitioning to zero-emission vehicle fleets and other clean energy solutions. Previously, Gilmore led multiple state and utility market transformation programs accelerating electric vehicle adoption, charging infrastructure deployment, and medium/heavy-duty vehicle fleet electrification. He holds a MS in PR and Corporate Communications from NYU and an MSc in Major Program Management from the University of Oxford.

Neal Bartek
Project Director, Microgrids
ENGIE North America

Bartek has more than 20 years’ experience leading diverse, cross-functional teams to success in projects across varied domains such as distributed energy resources (DER), IT, and traditional utility infrastructure including pioneering microgrid and advanced energy storage projects. Prior to ENGIE, he held multiple roles at San Diego Gas & Electric. He holds a BS in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University.

The post (Free Webinar) Current State of School Bus Electrification: Adoption Rates, Emerging Trends & Challenges appeared first on School Transportation News.

Are you thinking of implementing Wi-Fi on your school buses for student homework use? Even considering its crucial impact, E-Rate can be a major headache for school districts. Join Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions and Kajeet to explore how your location affects your approach to connectivity and infrastructure planning.

Learn:

• What are the benefits of E-Rate
• What to consider when planning a new implementation in rural or urban districts
• How to effectively navigate the NEW E-Rate application process
• What strategies are needed to make informed decisions and optimize your connectivity resources

Brought to you by Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions

 

Register Below:

 

Session Speakers:

Ben Moebes
Director of Public Sector Sales
Ericsson Enterprise Wireless

Ben Moebes currently leads a sales team that brings 5G connectivity to the Public Sector at Ericsson. He is an award-winning leader with a track record of successes in leading the continued growth of IT sales organizations such as Versa, Aerohive and Ruckus Networks. His background includes breaking new ground in global markets resulting in record breaking revenue metrics and highly profitable new partnerships with major organizations.

Jim Kerr
Principal E-rate Consultant
KB & Associates

Jim Kerr’s technology and marketing experience spans more than 40 years. His skills and capabilities include project management in the area of voice/data communications systems design, selection, and implementation integration, as well as facilities and wiring design, systems integration, and financial analysis. He has placed particular emphasis over the last 25 years on the FCC’s E-rate program and the K-12 education vertical. Since 2009 Kerr has been the Principal Consultant/Owner of KB & Assoc. KB & Assoc. provides E-Rate marketing and consulting services as well as access to its E-Rate SaaS ErateProfitWorks, to Service Providers and Manufacturers. His clients were awarded over $300,000,000 in E-Rate applications in 2023.

Gene Ballard
Director of Strategy
Kajeet

In his role, Ballard is responsible for developing and executing Kajeet’s market-based strategies working in conjunction with Kajeet’s sales, technical, finance and leadership teams. Ballard has over 30 years of experience in Technology Leadership and Strategy, including the last 7+ years with Kajeet, at which time he was instrumental in building Kajeet’s SmartBus Solution as well as other key initiatives including Kajeet’s current E-Rate efforts.

The post (Free Webinar) Simplifying the E-Rate Process for School Bus Wi-Fi appeared first on School Transportation News.

A webinar presented by national transportation contractor First Student dove into collaborative ways to reduce student behavior incidents and provide care to students with special needs.

Transportation and education are too often siloed into separate units when they should be a Venn diagram with significant overlap, said William McDermott, head of student services for First Student, during the Thursday conversation hosted by School Transportation News, which had over 100 viewers.

“We need to take the education industry and the transportation industry and mesh them together to create the best bus ride and the best student experience,” he declared. “What you can do in the school, you can do on the bus. It might be modified but it still works.”

Dr. Susan King, special education professor at George Washington University and consultant for CLP Consulting Group, spoke from experience. She said that educators may not give much thought to how students get to and from school but noted that they should because students may require time to calm down after a suboptimal experience on the bus and lose out on learning time.

Laura Greene-Halley, First Student’s senior director of safety, performance and improvement, explained that the contractor’s behavior improvement and special needs student support program called First Serves focuses on collaboration, intervention and accommodations.

“We need to make sure the transportation team’s efforts mirror the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) efforts,” she said. “Those communications, when we’re inclusive and we bring all of those critical groups together, are purposeful and designed to meet the individual needs of each child.”

The school bus ride isn’t just about physical safety but also getting students to school ready to learn, she pointed out. She agreed with McDermott’s Venn diagram assessment, adding that information should not be siloed. Instead, the same techniques and language used by teachers in the classroom should also be used on the school bus. Additionally, school bus staff knowing about a student’s diagnosis isn’t as important as knowing details on what their individual likes and dislikes are.

Reducing Behavior Incidents

Greene-Halley addressed the commonly echoed sentiments of school bus drivers that student behavior incidents are increasing while they feel unsupported by district administration. King said that this trend spiked in classrooms and general education school buses following COVID-19, thus making it not just a special needs issue anymore.

School bus drivers and aides must be trained to respond rather than react, Greene-Halley said. While reaction to student behavior is a normal human response, King added that often escalates the behavior. She said that she doesn’t believe in crisis management, but in preventing the escalation that would lead to a crisis.

“The best intervention is the driver and attendant’s healthy and appropriate relationship with the students,” McDermott said.

Sometimes the best interventions are simple, like providing students with books to read or color, he said. He shared the story of Battle Ground Public Schools in Washington state, which discovered that math flashcards were the key to calming a student with challenging behaviors who was previously refused transportation services.

Greene-Halley said this is why it’s important to learn from parents what their child likes. Parental perspective and knowledge are crucial parts of the transportation picture, King concurred.

Data collection from school bus drivers, students, parents and district administration helps everyone stay on the same page. McDermott added that digital data collection is more useful than paper forms that get filed away.

King advised constant appraisal to ensure the necessary components of collaboration, communication and cooperation are being utilized.

McDermott agreed, noting that continual re-evaluation is needed to ensure all school bus drivers and aides are trained and equipped so bus rides are smoother, student educational goals are supported and staff retention is increased.

McDermott explained that First Student uses a variety of school bus and vehicle sizes, with and without aides, to provide the least restrictive environment for students on their rides to and from school while also remaining budget-conscious.

First Student’s scale and numerous bus routes completed every day create learning opportunities and scenarios ripe for training, Greene-Halley added.

Watch the webinar on demand. 

Learn more about student behavior, staff training and related topics at the Transporting Students with Disabilities & Special Needs Conference and Trade Show held in Frisco, Texas from Nov. 7-12.

The post From Silos to Circles: How to Improve School Bus Rider Behavior appeared first on School Transportation News.

Join us for an exciting webinar introducing a groundbreaking approach to improving student experience and reducing behavior incidents on the school bus! This webinar will focus on implementing positive interventions and support strategies used in schools to provide consistency and bridge the gap between the classroom and the ride to school.

We’ll introduce the First Serves program, designed to support students and prepare staff to respond appropriately rather than react to behavior. You’ll learn about the LRE Transportation Model, the critical connection between training and support, and practical strategies to improve transportation experiences for students.

Brought to you by First Student

Register Below:

 

Presenters:

William McDermott
Head of Student Services
First Student

Will McDermott started his career as a special education teacher in 2002. In 2006, McDermott wrote the program description for and received approval from the Illinois State Board of Education to start Hopewell Career Academy, a non-public special education school located in New Lenox, IL. At the time, Hopewell Career Academy was an innovative approach to alternative education, it was one of the first private therapeutic schools that integrated academic standards, social-emotional learning, and career development for students with emotional disabilities.

During his tenure at Hopewell Career Academy, McDermott also started Bridgepoint Academy, another Illinois State Board of Education approved program that focused on students who have met graduation requirements but needed transition services to successfully meet their IEP transition goals and achieve their post-secondary outcomes. In 2013, while serving as principal of Hopewell Career Academy and Bridgepoint Academy, McDermott saw a need to provide better transportation services for students with disabilities and he co-founded Hopewell Transportation. Hopewell Transportation provided special transportation to students with disabilities by integrating simple research-based interventions on the bus by training, bus drivers and bus attendants, and implementing intervention creating a stronger public and private partnership with transportation companies and school districts.

On November 1, 2019, Hopewell Transportation was acquired by First Student and McDermott continues to happily work there focusing his research and efforts on delivering students to school and back home emotionally ready to engage. McDermott currently is the Chairman of the Board at Connect Academy, a K-8 school he founded that is a true public/private partnership with early intervention and support for students as they reintegration to the Least Restrictive Environment desired outcomes.

Dr. Susan King
Special Education Professor & Consultant
George Washington University & CLP Consulting Group

Dr. Susan King is an experienced special educator, researcher, and professor based in the Washington, D.C area. Prior to obtaining her doctoral degree, Dr. King was a special educator in one of the largest school districts in the Washington, D.C. area. Dr. King has been an assistant professor at Juniata College and faculty member at The George Washington University. Her expertise is in assessment, teacher training, behavior management and working with families of students with special needs. She recently completed post-doctoral education at Harvard University in “Making Change.”

Dr. King has consulted with public and private schools, served as an expert witness in legal cases, and conducted independent educational evaluations. She has served as the Chair of The National Advisory Committee for the HEATH Resource Center, National Clearing House on Post-Secondary Education for Individuals with Disabilities (Washington, D.C.) and currently serves as a member of the FirstServes National Advisory Board (Cincinnati, Ohio) and the Committee of Disabilities Awareness in Baltimore -Washington Conference.

Recent Presentations for Dr. King:

• Operation STEER – Student Transportation Emergency Education and Response. Region 6 Huntsville, TX, Keynote – “Responding to Students When an Unpredictable Situation Arises” March 2024.
• AASA – The School Superintendents Association. February 2024.ISSEA – Illinois State Special Education Administrators Conference. February 2024. CASE – Pittsburgh, PA., November 2023.CEC- Florida, October 2023

Laura Greene-Halley
Senior Director, Safety, Performance and Improvement
First Student

Laura Greene-Halley is a critical member of First Student’s safety leadership and FirstServes teams, and in her current role as Senior Director of Safety Performance and Improvement, she develops and implements ground-breaking innovation, safety strategies, and sustainable plans for over 440 locations across the United States and Canada. She has presented internationally to safety leadership coaches on becoming influential advocates for safety.

As a 2015 National School Transportation Association Golden Merit Award winner, Greene-Halley has been an industry-recognized driving force in student transportation for over 30 years. She has served two consecutive three-year terms on the Advisory Board for School Bus Driver Instructor/Master Instructor with the New York State Education Department (NYSED). She also holds numerous professional certifications including NYSED Master Instructor and Safety Leadership Instructor and Coach certified by Aubrey Daniels International and is Certified in Special Needs Transportation by NAPT.

Greene-Halley is an intentional role model, motivating others to become safety leaders and inspiring them to embrace safety as their core operating value. She is a passionate professional who gains personal fulfillment from ensuring the safety of our students, employees and the general public in our partner communities.

The post (Free Webinar) Collaboration, Cooperation & Change: Realigning Transportation to Meet Student Needs appeared first on School Transportation News.

With schools starting up across the country, the National Transportation Safety Board brought together four panelists to discuss key safety considerations.

During a webinar on Aug. 21, NTSB staff highlighted pertinent safety recommendations and addressed crash investigations with the aim to educate listeners on safe transportation.

Topics emphasized during the webinar included occupant protection, school bus safety, equity, safety routes to school, pedestrian, bicyclist and e-scooter safety.

“Nearly 550,000 school buses are in operation in the U.S and every school today these buses transport more than 20 million students to and from school,” said Meg Sweeney, an NTSB project manager and accident investigator.

In 2021, she noted there were 42,939 total fatalities on our roadways, 108 of those occurring in school transportation related fatalities. Most of the fatalities were the occupants of other vehicles, while only eight occupants of school transportation vehicles such as large school buses were fatally injured in 2021.

This data supports the assertion that school buses are the safest mode of transportation for students during their school commute. This is due to bus driver training and federal vehicle  construction standards. Despite this, there are always ways in which safety can be improved, stated Sweeney.

Sweeny also shared how over the years NTSB investigated several crash investigations and issued several recommendations to improve school bus safety in various ways. These recommendations include vehicle design and technology, such as lane departure warning and prevention systems. Another recommendation is occupant protection, namely lap/shoulder seatbelts, and ways to use passenger safety restraint systems to keep children within the compartmentalization of high-back, cushioned seats on school buses.

Kristin Poland, NTSB’s deputy director of highway, also discussed occupant protection. She added that for students to maintain consciousness during a crash and be able to self-evacuate, they need to be belted so they better protect their heads.

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Another topic the panelists discussed was safety outside the bus.

“Children are more vulnerable when waiting at bus stops, loading or unloading,” said Brittany Rawlinson, a statistician and data and policy analyst for NTSB, adding that nearly all school-age pedestrian fatalities occurred during the hours when children would be transiting to and from school. NHTSA reported that nearly all school-age pedestrian fatalities from 2013 to 2022 occurred from 3 p.m. to 3:59 p.m. more than any other time.

NTHSA reported 198 school-age child fatalities in school transportation related crashes occurring from 2013 to 2022. About 1.5 times more of those fatalities occurred with pedestrians than occupants of school transportation vehicles, explained Rawlinson.

NTSB recommendations to government agencies and states include reducing speed limits that can increase the time available to motorists for reacting to hazards. Carpooling also  reduce the number of vehicles in the school zone, always crossing students in crosswalks when available, utilizing designated off-street drop off and pick up locations, and enforcing laws that require all vehicles to stop when red school bus lights are flashing or when stop sign is extended.

The webinar ended with statistics, explaining how emergency departments have reported 13,557 injuries related to e-scooters from 2020 and 2021 with 67 percent of the injuries being in the head due to not wearing a helmet. Analysis on how over half of the 55 percent of school age pedestrians killed in school transportation related traffic crashes from 2013 to 2022 were five to ten year olds. Lastly, case reporting on different crashes in which there has been fatalities, as well as the belief that there is an urgent need for better safety measures beyond the bus.

The post NTSB Addresses Back to School Safety in Recent Webinar appeared first on School Transportation News.