Discover the First Serves program—a collaborative effort involving educational experts, psychologists, and parents/caregivers. This white paper provides a closer look at how First Serves, a specialized training program seamlessly supports children, connecting their classroom experience with transportation.

Key Aspects:

• Structured Support: First Serves delivers structured planning and support, closing the gap between the classroom and transportation.
• Collaborative Foundation: Forming partnerships between transportation staff, educational professionals, district leaders, and families, First Serves nurtures an environment conducive to student growth.
• Empowered Team: Through specialized training, First Serves ensures driving staff and on-vehicle monitors can adeptly address diverse student needs during their journey.
• District Customization: First Serves allows districts to customize the program, integrating social-emotional learning supports for an effective school experience.

Case Study Highlights:

See the impact of First Serves in action at Battle Ground Public Schools, showcasing tangible improvements in the student experience. This case study serves as a real-world example of collaborative, customizable approaches that enhance the student journey. Delve into the white paper for a deeper understanding of First Serves and its transformative potential in fostering student success.

Fill out the form below and then check your email for the white paper download link.

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School bus drivers are trained to not only keep calm with student riders but also when a piece of metal pierces their windshield during a route.

That is exactly what happened to Stewart O’Leary, a school bus driver for Northshore School District in Washington, on Feb. 7. As he drove a sports team down the freeway, a metal pole shattered his windshield and struck him in the chest. The school district released a statement on the incident.

O’Leary is being recognized as a hero for prioritizing the safety of the students on board his bus and remaining calm and collect after being hit and despite the resulting pain. Thanks to his quick thinking and the swift actions of North Creek coaches Calvin McHenry and Chris Pinder, who were also on board, the bus was safely brought to a stop and all passengers remained injured.

O’Leary was taken to the hospital on the day of the incident and released that same night. The following Monday he was back at work, continuing to serve students. The district thanked O’Leary for his heroic actions and bravery.

According to local news, Washington State Patrol troopers have not been able to determine where the metal bar came from.

Related: Georgia School Bus Driver Named “Hidden Hero” After Saving Student’s Life
Related: Louisiana School Bus Driver Hailed Hero
Related: Colorado School Bus Driver Hailed Hero After Fire
Related: Teens Hailed Heroes in Kentucky School Bus Crash

The post Metal Bar Flies Through Windshield, Strikes Washington School Bus Driver appeared first on School Transportation News.

WASHINGTON — The Engine Technology Forum (ETF) welcomes Roush Enterprises, Inc. (Roush) as its newest member. The not-for-profit ETF organization is dedicated to promoting understanding of the benefits of advanced engines, fuels, and technologies. Engine Technology Forum members are leaders in those industries.

Founded in 1976 by motorsports legend Jack Roush, the company has established itself as a premier global provider of automotive performance products and clean fuel technology solutions. With a workforce of over 4,500 employees worldwide, Roush also provides creative solutions for advanced mobility, aerospace, defense, and theme park industries. Roush CleanTech is an advanced clean transportation solutions provider for the commercial truck industry.

Roush CleanTech Executive VP Todd Mouw states that “Since our inception, we have focused on developing innovative and reliable technologies for the medium-duty market. Roush CleanTech designs, manufactures, and installs clean technology fuel systems, including propane Autogas, for commercial vehicles and school buses across North America. Our people take ideas and make them real for clients in some of the world’s most dynamic industries. “

“We see a bright future for internal combustion engine technology in new and conversion applications. More than 45,000 vehicles school and shuttle buses, work trucks, and other vehicles are on the roads with Roush technology. Our commitment to being a leader in advanced engine technology includes helping to educate and inform people about the policies that drive our customers’ needs. Our work aligns well with the Engine Technology Forum, which is dedicated to educating others about the tremendous value of advanced engines to economies around the world. We’re pleased to join other industry leaders by supporting this important effort,” says Mouw.

ETF Executive Director Allen Schaeffer says, “Our Forum members are excited to welcome the Roush team. We’re looking forward to the insights they’ll share and their contributions to our constantly evolving scope of work. Advanced engines and fuels help our world evolve, and progress, to meet new challenges. And Roush’s commitment to environmental responsibility and innovation will help the Forum share this story with others around the world.”

The Forum brings together a broad range of stakeholders including advanced engine users, public and environmental interest groups, as well as government officials, to encourage the exchange of information and ideas about the use of advanced engine technology. ETF is also the only organization dedicated to promoting and defending a viable future for internal combustion engines in all applications.

The Engine Technology Forum was established in October 2023. It evolved from the widely known Diesel Technology Forum which was founded in 2000. ETF is based in metropolitan Washington, DC.

Roush’s US operations are based in Livonia, Michigan.

About Roush
Roush is a full-service product development supplier headquartered in Livonia, Michigan. Since 1976, the company has grown to more than 4,500 employees in facilities located throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Named a Crain’s Detroit Fast 50 in 2018, Roush is widely recognized for providing engineering, testing, prototyping, and manufacturing services to the mobility, aerospace, defense, and theme park industries. Corporate subsidiaries include Roush Performance, a developer and manufacturer of performance vehicles and products for the automotive aftermarket; and Roush CleanTech, a developer, and manufacturer of alternative fuel systems for the fleet vehicle market. For more information, visit www.roush.com.

About the Engine Technology Forum
Founded on the principles of fact-based education, science, outreach and collaboration, the Engine Technology Forum is dedicated to promoting a greater understanding of the benefits of advanced engines and the fuels that they use, as well as how these contribute to a sustainable future. Please join us. We also invite you to connect with us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Sign up for our digital newsletter, too.

The post Roush Joins the Engine Technology Forum appeared first on School Transportation News.

SEATTLE, Wash. – Zonar, a leader in commercial vehicle fleet health and safety, today announced the release of its next generation Zonar LD Telematics Control Unit (TCU), delivering more comprehensive and faster vehicle intelligence and security data to meet the broadening demands of fleets. With advanced telematics capabilities, faster installation, and expanded vehicle coverage, the new iteration empowers fleet operators to optimize operations while continuing to prioritize strengthening efficiency, safety, and performance.

Light-duty vehicles form the backbone of today’s vocational fleets and extend beyond into passenger vans for school districts and transit systems, field services and last-mile delivery vehicles. The Zonar LD TCU offers a plug-and-play telematics solution tailored to the unique needs of these vehicles. It continues to provide robust Zonar Ground Traffic Control reporting capabilities as its predecessor, including in-depth diagnostics to ensure vehicle health and safety.

Enhanced features introduce key improvements for a better user experience:

Faster installation: Calibrate and sync in as little as two minutes to get on the road faster.
Enhanced over-the-air updates: Receive device performance enhancements, including expanded vehicle, engine control module (ECM), odometer and diagnostic trouble code (DTC) coverage more quickly and efficiently.
Expanded vehicle coverage: Benefit from increased support for a broader range of vehicle models and types.
Towing detection: Gain visibility into towing events for added security and situational awareness.
Cold start event tracking: Detect soft or hard reboots to better identify device tampering to improve the security of fleet vehicles and technology assets.
“Demand for light-duty tracking and diagnostics capabilities continue to grow, particularly in field services, retail, grocery, package delivery, and passenger transport sectors,” said Greg Colvin, senior director of solutions engineering at Zonar. “Fleets need a solution that’s simple to install, easy to manage, and delivers complex vehicle data insights across the wide spectrum of light-duty fleet vehicles all in one platform. Our next generation light-duty TCU builds on the strengths of its predecessor and allows for a quicker deployment, more expansive vehicle support, faster insights, and more visibility than before.”

Today’s fleets require more flexible, non-traditional transportation options to meet the pressures of delivering offered services. School districts increasingly rely on smaller passenger vehicles to transport students to special programs and after-school activities, or to provide ride-share alternative transportation, but still need to track students and vehicle safety alongside their school bus fleet. Additionally, the surge in e-commerce has increased last-mile delivery needs, where distribution costs account for nearly half of supply chain expenses. With these diverse demands, fleets need a true plug-and-play solution with wide light-duty vehicle coverage and a universal platform that monitors vehicle health, location, and performance across all vehicle types—light, medium or heavy duty.

For more information on the Zonar LD TCU, visit:https://www.zonarsystems.com/zonarld

About Zonar:
Founded in 2001, Zonar has pioneered smart transportation mobility solutions for vocational, public sector/pupil, mass transit, and commercial trucking industries. The Zonar mission is to enhance the safety, performance, and success of its customer’s fleets by transforming the delivery of innovative insights for commercial fleets. Headquartered in Seattle, Zonar also operates a distribution center in West Chicago.

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The following commentary was written by Kelley Trombley, senior manager of state policy at Ceres. See our commentary guidelines for more information.

This campaign season, the state of Washington was a battleground for energy and climate policy. The pitched fight over Initiative 2117 became one of the most expensive ballot measures in state history, drawing millions of dollars in political funding to each side of the issue, which would have repealed Washington’s Climate Commitment Act to end its nation-leading cap-and-invest system. In its first year alone, the policy has driven $2.2 billion into projects designed to protect the state from the effects of climate change while fighting pollution, but faced opposition from those who argued it hurt the economy. 

Yet it was some of the top employers in the state – and for that matter on the planet – that urged voters to keep the program in place. Amazon, Microsoft, and REI were among the many companies urging a no vote. And in the end, voters agreed, decisively defeating the ballot measure by a wide margin. It turns out that this kind of climate action is actually an economic boon. 

The strong showing of corporate support for the CCA shouldn’t be surprising. Take it from me and my colleagues at Ceres, a sustainability nonprofit that works with businesses and investors across the country on sustainability issues. Over the last decade, leading businesses have increasingly come to recognize that climate and clean energy policies are key economic drivers. Business leaders have rallied to support them – from the federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, marking the nation’s largest-ever investment into confronting climate change, to ambitious legislation in states across the U.S., including here in Washington. 

To understand why, just think about what businesses need to prosper. Reliable and affordable electricity to power their operations. Good transportation networks to ensure people and goods can get where they need to be. Infrastructure investment and job growth to bolster local economies. Market-based systems to efficiently solve pressing economywide problems. And, last but not least, a healthy workforce. 

The CCA is delivering all of that.  

By putting a cap on carbon pollution designed to all but eliminate it by 2050, the policy uses basic economic principles to address the challenge and financial risks of climate change. It promises to reduce impacts such as floods, drought, heatwaves, and severe storms that threaten pillars of the economy that businesses depend on, such as infrastructure, facilities, supply chains, and workforces. Not only that, the CCA is also investing in improving and fortifying many of those very things: its revenue is being used to improve and modernize energy and transportation infrastructure, invest in energy efficiency, and protect communities from climate impacts. Repealing it was projected to cost some 45,000 good-paying jobs and do $9 billion in economic damage. 

Businesses understood the CCA is about protecting and strengthening our economic future, one that we are all in together. And voters did too. By voting no, Washington has signaled to companies across the U.S. that it is acting to address a major economic challenge and is investing in solutions that businesses of the future will rely on.  

There’s a lesson here for state policymakers around the country, especially those committed to strengthening their communities as an attractive and reliable place to conduct business. The private sector will continue to seize business opportunities as clean energy investment grows, and states will find broad support when they address the economic imperative to reduce pollution and advance clean power, transportation, and building policies. In Washington, voters made it abundantly clear that their “no” vote wasn’t about just protecting the climate. It was about protecting the economy as well. 

Commentary: Why businesses stood up for Washington state’s cap-and-invest policy is an article from Energy News Network, a nonprofit news service covering the clean energy transition. If you would like to support us please make a donation.