A 4-year-old girl died on Nov. 17 after she was struck by a Panama Central School District bus in front of Milton J. Fletcher Elementary School.

Police and emergency crews were called to the intersection near the school at approximately 8:08 a.m. for reports of a child hit by a vehicle. Officers immediately administered first aid before the child was transported to UPMC Chautauqua, where she later succumbed to her injuries.

The Panama Central School District confirmed the bus was transporting one student to an out-of-district placement at the time of the incident. Neither the student nor the bus driver was injured. The student, Leanna Herrera, attended Jamestown Public Schools.

In a statement, Jamestown Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Whitaker expressed deep sorrow over the child’s death. “We are heartbroken by this devastating news, and our thoughts are with the student’s family and friends,” Whitaker said. “This is an unimaginable loss for the Fletcher community and for all of Jamestown Public Schools.”

The area around Fletcher Elementary is reportedly busy during morning drop-off hours as students walk to school or wait for buses. It remains unclear at this time exactly how the incident occurred, including whether the child was in a crosswalk or what circumstances led to the crash.

The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office Accident Reconstruction Team and New York State Police are assisting Jamestown Police in the investigation. No charges have been filed, and authorities noted that determining contributing factors will take time.

The Panama Central School District also released a message to families expressing condolences and acknowledging the ongoing investigation, calling the crash a “truly tragic accident.”

At Fletcher Elementary, the district has activated its Crisis Intervention Team to support students, staff and families affected by the tragedy. Counseling services will remain available throughout the week.

Community members have already begun placing flowers and stuffed animals near the school as a memorial grows. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has relevant information has been asked to contact the Jamestown Police Department. The investigation is ongoing.

Related: Michigan Middle Schooler Dead After Exiting School Bus
Related: High School Senior Killed Walking to Bus Stop in Florida
Related: Louisiana Student Struck and Killed by School Bus
Related: Pennsylvania Kindergartener Struck by School Bus

The post 4-Year-Old Girl Killed After Being Struck by School Bus in New York appeared first on School Transportation News.

Sometimes, the fix really is the obvious one, especially when the original solution involved little more than strong glue and wishful thinking. Tesla has outlined how it intends to keep the Cybertruck’s optional off-road lightbar from slipping away.

Instead of relying on adhesive, which has not aged well in practice, the company now plans to fasten the light bar to the roof with actual bolts.

Read: Cybertruck’s Light Bar Has Joined The Long List Of Things Falling Off Teslas

Last month, Tesla announced that it was recalling 6,197 Cybertrucks because the optional LED light bar was being held on solely with strong adhesive.

Not surprisingly, several light bars failed to stay attached, separating from vehicles while driving. The issue stemmed from problems with the adhesive primers used during installation. So far, Tesla has logged 619 warranty claims related to the light bar coming loose.

Bolts Sure Are Better Than Adhesive

Well, at least now Tesla has come up with a solution that should, in practice, work. The company has developed a new steel bracket that affixes to both sides of the light bar.

The bracket then slides between the stainless steel window frames of the Cybertruck and includes a small attachment that is bolted directly into the vehicle’s roof.

Also: Tesla Recalls Every Single Cybertruck After Glued Stainless Steel Trims Fall Off

Although Tesla has now developed the fix, it’s not yet ready to start repairing customer cars. According to the original recall bulletin, owners won’t be formally notified until December 26. That means service center appointments likely won’t begin until early 2026.

So, if you own a Cybertruck with the light bar held on exclusively with adhesive, it might be wise to limit your drive. Or, if you must drive it before you’re able to book in an appointment at your local Tesla service center, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get some duct tape to try and better secure the light bar, if only temporarily.

A Long-Standing Issue

The off-road light bar has been a sore point for owners ever since the Cybertruck arrived in late 2023. Owners who paid extra for the Foundation Series version of the electric pickup were supposed to receive the light bar as standard, yet most trucks showed up without it because Tesla was still finalizing the accessory.

By August, the delay had worn thin enough that one owner took the matter to court and sued Tesla in California.

Stacey Murillo Martinez arrived at the Fond du Lac County courthouse in June to pay a $1,500 cash bond for her husband, Miguel Murillo Martinez, as he sat in jail facing drunken driving, bail jumping and firearms charges. 

Scraping the funds together was no small feat. Stacey lives on a fixed income, so Miguel’s boss chipped in. She expected the court to eventually return the $1,500. Bond is meant to serve as collateral to incentivize defendants to show up for their court dates, as she believed Miguel would. 

She did not know U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would wait inside the Fond du Lac County Jail later that day to take Miguel, an immigrant from Honduras, into their custody. 

Five months later, Miguel still sits in an ICE facility near Terre Haute, Indiana. His detention caused him to miss a court date in September, prompting the Fond du Lac County judge to issue a bench warrant for his arrest. 

“They didn’t tell me, ‘You’re guilty’ or ‘You’re not guilty,’ ” he said, his voice muffled and distorted by the facility’s phone system. 

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Stacey said in early November, referring to the fate of her husband and the bail money – three times the monthly rent for the couple’s double-wide in a Fond du Lac manufactured home park. 

ICE records list more than 130 arrests at county jails in Wisconsin between January and July 2025. Nearly 40% were awaiting a ruling in their first criminal case.

While defendants sit in ICE custody, their criminal cases generally continue without them — sometimes with no explanation of their absence to the court. As ICE ramps up its enforcement efforts nationwide, Wisconsin courts are increasingly left with loose ends: defendants without their day in court, victims without a chance to testify and thousands of dollars in forfeited bail paid by family, friends and employers.

“If I get out, I’m going back to my house, and then I have to appear in county court,” Miguel said. 

Miguel is not the only recent example: ICE picked up his nephew, Junior Murillo, at the Fond du Lac County Jail in October as he faced charges for disorderly conduct and domestic abuse.

The Fond du Lac County Jail has transferred 10 people into ICE custody this year, Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt said. His county is among 15 Wisconsin local governments to have signed agreements with ICE to assist in identifying and apprehending unauthorized immigrants. These are often called 287(g) agreements, referencing the section of the federal Immigration and Nationality Act authorizing the program. 

Fond du Lac is also among the more than two dozen Wisconsin counties participating in the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, through which the Department of Justice partially reimburses incarceration costs for agencies that share data on unauthorized immigrants in their custody. Fond du Lac County received nearly $25,000 through the program in fiscal year 2024, according to Waldschmidt.

Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney said ICE has been “very easy for us to communicate and work with,” and his prosecutors inform judges if a defendant is arrested in the courthouse. Waldschmidt noted that while his office communicates with prosecutors about inmates in county custody with ICE holds, it lacks a written policy requiring them to notify prosecutors of handoffs to ICE. 

Criminal and immigration courts collide

Wisconsin courts do not consistently track whether a defendant has entered ICE custody, but multiple Wisconsin defense attorneys told Wisconsin Watch that immigration authorities frequently arrest defendants shortly after they post bail. 

“The judge will issue a $500 cash bond, somebody in the family will post it before I’m able to tell them, ‘please don’t,’ and the client will get transferred into immigration custody, where they’re really not able to make the appearance in circuit court,” said Kate Drury, a Waupaca-based criminal defense and immigration attorney.

In rare cases, prosecutors work with ICE to extradite defendants from detention centers in other states – or, even rarer, from other countries. Doing so is complicated and expensive, especially for smaller counties.

Toney said his office can’t justify expenses for bringing any out-of-state defendant back to prosecute lower-level cases, such as driving without a license. 

Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne is similarly reluctant to spend thousands to extradite defendants from faraway detention facilities. “If it’s a misdemeanor retail theft (charge), let’s say, and the person is in California, that extradition cost may be $5,000,” he said. “We’re probably not going to spend $5,000 or bring that person back.”

Ozanne’s office did, however, successfully fight for custody of a Honduran woman accused of killing two teenagers while driving drunk on Highway I-90 north of Madison in July. ICE detained Noelia Saray Martinez Avila, 30, after her attorney posted a $250,000 bond to release her from the Dane County jail in August. Martinez Avila is scheduled to appear in Dane County court in December.

Defendants in ICE custody can sometimes appear for Wisconsin court hearings via video call, though some attorneys report struggling to schedule those from immigration detention centers. 

“Jails and private prisons that operate immigration detention facilities aren’t super focused or motivated in helping defendants make their scheduled court appearances,” Drury said.

When a defendant misses a court date, Toney’s office typically requests a bench warrant and moves to schedule a bail forfeiture hearing — regardless of whether ICE detention caused the absence, he said. 

Making exceptions for ICE detainees would mean “treating somebody differently because of their immigration status,” Toney said. Still, attorneys in his office can exercise their own discretion when deciding whether to seek a warrant or bail forfeiture, he added. The prosecutor responsible for Junior Murillo’s case, for instance, did not request that the court forfeit his bail after his ICE arrest.

Ozanne argued against forfeiting defendants’ bail if they miss a court date while in ICE custody. 

“It wasn’t their unwillingness to show up” that prevented them from appearing in court, he said, adding that his office would be willing to return bail money to whomever posted it on the defendant’s behalf.

“The problem is that we don’t necessarily know” whether a person is in custody, Ozanne added. While he, like Toney, has reported no difficulties communicating with ICE, the agency doesn’t proactively inform his office when it arrests immigrants with active cases in Dane County. 

ICE did not respond to emailed questions from Wisconsin Watch.

Mindy Nolan, a Milwaukee-based attorney who specializes in the interaction between criminal cases and immigration status, said judges generally issue warrants for defendants in ICE custody to keep their criminal cases alive if ICE releases them or they return to the country after deportation. 

“Over the years, what I’ve heard from judges is (that) if the person is present in the United States in the future, they could be picked up on the state court warrant,” she said.

Hearings without defendants

Wisconsin law gives courts at least 30 days to decide whether to forfeit a defendant’s bail. 

“The default assumption seems to be that the immigrant could appear and the statute places the burden on the defendant to prove that it was impossible for them to appear,” Drury said. “But how does the defendant meet that burden when they’re being held in immigration custody, transferred all over the country, potentially transferred outside the United States?”

Wisconsin courts have held more than 2,700 bail forfeiture hearings thus far in 2025, though the state’s count does not provide details on the reasons for defendants’ absence. If the defendant misses the hearing, the defendant’s attorney or those who paid the bail can challenge the forfeiture by demonstrating that the absence was unavoidable. 

On a Friday morning in late October, a Racine County judge issued a half-dozen bail forfeiture orders in just minutes. The court had scheduled a translator for most of the cases, and she sat alone at the defense table, occasionally scanning the room in case any defendants slipped in at the last minute.

“The problem is getting someone at the bond forfeiture hearings to assert those arguments on behalf of clients,” Drury said. Public defenders are often stretched thin, and family members may be unaware of upcoming hearings. Court records indicate Miguel Murillo lacks a defense attorney assigned to his case in Fond du Lac, leaving only Stacey to argue against bail forfeiture. 

Such hearings tend to be more substantial when attorneys are present, boosting the likelihood of bail money being returned. 

Miguel Murillo’s case does not involve an alleged victim, meaning forfeited bail would go to Fond du Lac County. Court costs typically exceed the value of forfeited bail, Toney said. 

When cases involve alleged victims, Wisconsin law requires that courts use forfeited bail for victim restitution – even without a conviction.

What’s missing are judicial findings that the defendant is responsible for the alleged actions and caused suffering to the victim, Drury said. 

“Without a conviction, I don’t understand how you maintain that policy and the presumption of innocence, which is such an important constitutional cornerstone of this country.”

Immigration arrests often throw a wrench in the gears of the criminal justice system, Ozanne said. 

“It’s most problematic for us when the person hasn’t gone through their due process,” he said. “We have victims… who don’t really get the benefit of the process or have the ability to communicate with the courts about what they think should happen.”

“In a sense,” he added, “that person has a get-out-of-jail-free card.” 

Months in ICE detention 

Miguel Murillo left Honduras a decade ago, initially settling in Houston. While in Texas, he says he survived a shooting and sought, but never obtained, a U-visa, which provides temporary legal status to victims of certain crimes. 

The shooting prompted him to head north to Wisconsin, where he found construction work and married Stacey, a lifelong Wisconsinite. Court records mark occasional run-ins with law enforcement and misdemeanors over the last five years, culminating in the April 2025 charges that preceded his ICE arrest. 

Stacey, who is receiving treatment for breast cancer, relied on her husband to keep their household afloat. In his absence, she said, “I have to beg, plead, and borrow to get any assistance.” 

“Right now, as I go through this situation… there’s no one to take care of her,” Miguel told Wisconsin Watch. The couple hope that argument will sway a Chicago immigration court judge to release him from ICE custody. The court held its final hearing on his order of removal case in late October, Stacey said, but has yet to issue a ruling.

Junior’s case progressed far more quickly. After his arrest in October, he spent just over a week in ICE custody before immigration authorities put him on a plane to Honduras. 

Miguel, on the other hand, has spent roughly five months in various ICE detention facilities. He was scheduled to appear by video in Fond du Lac County court Thursday morning. He never joined the call. 

“I don’t know what happened,” he wrote to Wisconsin Watch afterwards. “I was waiting and (facility staff) didn’t call me.”

Stacey couldn’t attend the hearing for health reasons, and Miguel has yet to secure an attorney for his Fond du Lac case. Court records do not indicate whether the prosecutor requested forfeiture of his $1,500 bail.

Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup.

Courts left with loose ends when ICE detains criminal defendants is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call or text the three-digit suicide and crisis lifeline at 988. Resources are available online here.

A recently released report details problems at Wisconsin prisons including high staff turnover, overcrowding and issues with solitary confinement.  

Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections paid the firm Falcon, Inc. roughly $500,000 to complete the yearlong review of the prison system’s adult facilities.

Among other issues, the report zeroed in on the department’s policies for solitary confinement, officially known as restrictive housing.

Alarms raised about solitary confinement of people with serious mental health struggles

The report raised concerns about how often people are locked up in solitary confinement while dealing with serious mental health issues.

“Individuals with SMI (serious mental illness) placed in restrictive housing are more likely to become violent and, if released from restrictive housing, are more likely to return,” the report’s authors noted, citing outside research. “Those individuals housed in restrictive housing are also more likely to die by suicide than those living in other housing settings.”

On the last day of March 2025, 872 adults were locked up in solitary confinement through the DOC, making up close to 4% of the prison population. That was roughly on par with the percentage of inmates in solitary confinement six years prior.

A significant number of those in solitary confinement — 101 people on the day measured in March 2025 — were classified as having a serious mental health issue.

The report noted that people who spend extended periods of time in solitary confinement are more likely to be part of the DOC’s mental health caseload, meaning they’ve been referred for mental health needs of varying severity. Sixty-nine percent of the people locked up in solitary confinement for more than 120 days were part of the DOC’s mental health caseload. By comparison, 46% of the general prison population was on that mental health caseload.

The report did commend the DOC for attempting to limit extended stays in solitary confinement by adopting a May 2024 policy that requires a higher-up to approve solitary confinement stays longer than 120 days.

It urged DOC to change its solitary confinement policies by creating “alternative” units for people with serious mental illness, “so they can automatically be diverted from restrictive housing.”

DOC urged to change practice of using solitary confinement for people on suicide watch

Per its policies, the DOC can send people to solitary confinement as “disciplinary separation,” which is punishment for bad behavior.

It also sends people to solitary confinement through what it calls “administrative confinement,” which is when people are deemed a threat to themselves or others if they’re kept with the general prison population. Typically, that extends to people who are flagged for “suicide watch,” if they’re deemed to be at risk for suicide.

But putting suicidal people into solitary confinement cells is likely making the situation worse, the report warns.

“Observation cells are typically in restrictive housing units, which is problematic,” the report notes. “Individuals on observation status are not allowed therapeutic items, visits, phone calls, or recreation.”

The report urges the DOC to stop that practice and instead move its areas for observing at-risk people to “more appropriate environments that support therapeutic care and patient safety.”

Marianne Oleson, an activist with Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing of Wisconsin, described the DOC’s existing solitary confinement policies as barbaric. She spent five years incarcerated in Wisconsin.

“It’s torture,” Oleson said of solitary confinement. “As someone who has spent time in their quote-unquote ‘restrictive housing’ unit for being suicidal, you’re only compounding the harm and the hurt.”

She said solitary confinement left her with permanent psychological scars.

“My mind was my weapon,” Oleson said. “My mind was destroying me, and the answer they gave me was to lock me down with that weapon. And I nearly broke. I’ve seen women break, honestly.”

In an email, DOC spokesperson Beth Hardkte acknowledged that most observation cells for people on suicide watch are located in the restrictive housing units of prisons, although she said there is no specific DOC policy requiring them to be located there.

“Observation cells are specially designed to ensure safety and property can be restricted to prevent self-harm,” she said. “Observation status also requires more intensive staffing and availability of psychological or health care staff.”

Report also highlights issues with overcrowding, high staff turnover

Also noted in the report are struggles with “staff attrition” and a large proportion of inexperienced staff members.

“WIDOC has experienced a great deal of staffing changes, with a
significant number of the current staff hired during or after the COVID19 pandemic,” the report notes.

And it detailed the DOC’s struggles with overcrowding. Nearly every state prison is holding more people than it was designed for. On average, men’s prisons were at 130% capacity, and women’s prisons were at 166% capacity.

That overcrowding is leading to delays for people who are supposed to be transferred from one prison to another, the report notes. In some cases, that means people aren’t locked up according to their designated security level, such as men classified as medium-security remaining in a maximum-security prison.

Currently, there are more than 23,000 adults locked up in Wisconsin’s prisons — making them over capacity by more than 5,000 people. The state’s prison population is now roughly at pre-pandemic levels, which is more than triple the size of the prison population in 1990.

Oleson said the report highlights the need for policy and legislative changes to cut back on the number of Wisconsinites behind bars.

“It confirms what we have said for years,” Oleson said. “Wisconsin’s prisons are dangerously overcrowded, under-resourced and in desperate need of healing.”

Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who first took office in 2019, has said he wants to decrease Wisconsin’s prison population, although that reduction hasn’t happened in practice. Some Republican members of the GOP-controlled Legislature have said they oppose his goals of eventually decreasing prison beds and expanding certain early release programs.

In a statement, DOC Secretary Jared Hoy says the report by Falcon, Inc. shows the prison system is “moving in the right direction.”

“Falcon experts recognized the work of countless dedicated DOC employees to modernize our health care and restrictive housing policies,” Hoy’s statement said. “As much as we’ve done, we can always do more, do better and the recommendations in the report provide a guide for our agency.”

This story was originally published by WPR.

Review details problems with solitary confinement, overcrowding in Wisconsin prisons is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

While public awareness campaigns about illegally passing stopped school buses increase nationwide, the National School Bus Loading and Unloading Survey finds that school buses and their drivers accounted for all the student fatalities reported for the 2024-2025 school year.

The 2024-2025 National School Bus Loading and Unloading Survey, released Sunday at the National State Director of Pupil Transportation Services conferences in Washington, D.C., reported that six fatalities occurred in five states, with Louisiana reporting two. Four states did not participate in the survey, the most non-responses since 2015.

Over 55 years, the annual survey conducted by the Kansas State Department of Education’s School Transportation Safety Unit says school buses account for 56.5 percent of all reported fatalities, with other vehicles accounting for 39.2 percent and “other” 4.2 percent.

Several fatalities during the 2024-2025 school year occurred similarly. In Missouri, a 9-year-old girl had just exited her school bus. As the bus pulled away from the curb and began preparing to turn left, the student ran along the left side of the bus for unknown reasons. She was struck and killed by the rear left wheels.

Find All National School Bus Loading and Unloading Surveys Since 1970

A similar situation occurred in Wisconsin. A 5-year-old boy had unloaded the school bus at school. However, the student had dropped an item and crawled under the bus to retrieve it as the school bus driver pulled away. The student was struck and killed by the left rear dual wheels.

A 5-year-old Massachusetts boy unloaded from the school bus when the vehicle moved forward, and it struck and killed the child. The boy was killed by the left front wheel.

In Louisiana, a 7-year-old exited the school bus and was walking in front of it as the driver pulled away from the stop. He was struck and killed by the right front and right rear dual wheels of the bus.

Also in Louisiana, a 6-year-old boy was running to catch the school bus. He was in front of the bus as it pulled away from the stop, and he was struck and killed by the front of the school bus.

Similarly, in Texas, a 5-year-old was running to catch the bus. He, too, was in front of the bus as it pulled away from the stop. He was then struck and killed by the left front wheels.

Related: Senate Supports October School Bus Safety Month for 12th Consecutive Year
Related: Louisiana Boy Waiting for School Bus Allegedly Killed by Impaired Grandmother
Related: California Farmworkers Hailed as Heroes After Rescuing 20 Children from Burning School Bus 
Related: (STN Podcast E283) Onsite at TSD 2025 (Part 2/2): Solution-Driven Partners + TD of the Year Interview
Related: High School Senior Killed Walking to Bus Stop in Florida

Half of the fatalities took place on the trip to school, the other half on the trip home. All the students killed were under 10 years old. Three were 5 years old. The National School Bus Loading and Unloading Survey stated that during the past 55 years of the survey, 73 percent of fatalities occurred to students 9 years of age and under.

Three of the fatalities took place on a Thursday, and two took place in the month of April. For five of the fatalities, the weather conditions were clear and in daylight, with one being reported during cloudy conditions and one during dark. Two fatalities were reported in rural areas, whereas four were considered urban. In all fatalities, road conditions were dry.

The survey is based on police reports of student fatalities at school bus stops when the bus was on scene at the time of the incident.

The post 6 Students Killed in Danger Zone, All by School Buses appeared first on School Transportation News.

A 5-year-old Louisiana boy was killed after being run over in his family’s driveway by his grandmother, who police allege was drunk and under the influence of depressants at the time of the accident.

During a press conference last Tuesday following the incident, Slidell Police Department announced the arrest of 55-year-old Kristen Anders, who was charged with vehicular homicide. The St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office formally identified her grandson as Carson Lawson the following day.

Police Chief Daniel Seuzeneau said officers were called to the family’s home at around 7 a.m. Tuesday, following reports that a child had been struck by a vehicle. Carson was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to investigators, Carson was standing in the driveway waiting for his school bus when Anders left the house to drive to work. Police allege she entered her SUV, which had been backed into the driveway, and began pulling forward, unaware the boy was directly in front of the vehicle. Because of the size of the SUV, Seuzeneau said, Carson was not visible to her. The child died instantly, according to police.

A drug recognition expert evaluated Anders at the scene. Seuzeneau said the expert determined she was impaired and under the influence of alcohol and central nervous system depressants, though police did not specify the specific substances involved. She was taken into custody shortly thereafter and later booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail. Her bond was set at $50,000.

Seuzeneau spoke about the impact on first responders.

“This is any parent’s worst nightmare,” he said. “I was at the scene this morning as well as several of our officers. This affects everyone. This hits home hard for all of us and all of the first responders who were at that scene.”

The police chief added that he had spoken several times with Carson’s mother on Tuesday.

“There isn’t anything that I can say that can make her feel better or make this situation better,” he said.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Related: 14-Year-Old Struck by School Bus in New Jersey
Related: New Jersey School Bus Driver Struck, Killed by Another School Bus
Related: 9-Year-old Hit, Killed by School Bus in Canada
Related: Georgia Student Struck and Killed by Passing Vehicle

The post Louisiana Boy Waiting for School Bus Allegedly Killed by Impaired Grandmother appeared first on School Transportation News.

Milwaukee immigration attorney Anthony Locke spent the first weekend in November wrapping his head around the latest ground-shaking rule change for asylum cases. His Department of Homeland Security (DHS) counterpart apparently did the same while pushing to deport one of Locke’s clients.

Locke represents a Nicaraguan asylum seeker arrested in a late September ICE operation in Manitowoc. That client was set to appear before an immigration court judge on Nov. 4 in a hearing Locke hoped would move the man closer to securing his right to remain in the U.S. 

But five days earlier, the Board of Immigration Appeals — a powerful, if relatively obscure Department of Justice tribunal that sets rules for immigration courts — had paved the way for courts to more easily toss out asylum cases and instead deport applicants, not to their home country, but to a “third country” they barely know. 

Just before the Nov. 4 hearing, the DHS attorney motioned to dismiss Locke’s client’s case and deport him to Honduras, through which he had only briefly passed on his trek north. Locke now has until early December to argue that his client could face “persecution or torture” in Honduras. 

“Trying to demonstrate that they’re scared of a place they’ve had minimal contact with,” he said, is akin to proving a negative. 

If the judge sides with DHS, the Nicaraguan man will be sent to Honduras without an opportunity to make his case for remaining in the U.S.

“I am, quite frankly, not too hopeful, and I’ve had to be quite honest with my client about that,” Locke said. “This is so sudden, so jarring, and it has such an immense impact.”

The full impact of the appeals board ruling remains to be seen, but it has the potential to affect the cases of thousands of immigrants who entered the asylum process since President Donald Trump’s first administration in 2019 began establishing “safe third country” agreements, starting with Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. 

U.S. law for decades guaranteed anyone physically present in the U.S. the right to seek asylum, but the agreements allowed the U.S. to instead send asylum seekers to third countries to seek legal status there. 

While Joe Biden suspended most third country agreements during his presidency, Trump, upon returning to office in January, revived them as a means to limit asylum applications and facilitate deportations. The list of countries willing to accept the deportees is still growing, though not all have signed formal “safe third country” agreements.

The Board of Immigration Appeals overhauled the process of sending an asylum seeker to a third country. Its ruling allows DHS to send asylum seekers to countries through which they did not pass en route to the U.S. It also requires immigration courts to consider whether asylum seekers can be sent to a third country before hearing their cases for remaining in the U.S., creating the proving-a-negative scenario Locke described. 

The ruling may not impact those who filed for asylum before third country agreements were forged. 

DHS did not respond to Wisconsin Watch’s request for comment.

Locke’s client entered the U.S. in 2022, requesting asylum on the grounds that his protests against Nicaragua’s ruling party made him a target for persecution. The man entered the country through a Biden-era “parole” program that allowed some immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to live and work in the U.S. for two years, Locke said. Roughly a third of new arrivals to Wisconsin who entered the immigration court system since 2020 came from Nicaragua, though not all secured parole. 

The Trump administration ended the parole program earlier this year, claiming that the roughly 500,000 immigrants who entered the country through the program had not been properly vetted and that participants limited opportunities for domestic workers.

Locke’s client landed in the immigration court system in September after his arrest in Manitowoc. He is currently in custody in the Dodge County jail — one of a growing number of local detention facilities in Wisconsin housing ICE detainees. 

One of his fellow detainees, Diego Ugarte-Arenas, faces a similar predicament. The 31-year-old from Venezuela entered the U.S. in 2021 alongside his wife, Dailin Pacheco-Acosta. The couple filed for asylum upon reaching Wisconsin, citing their involvement in opposition to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Pacheco-Acosta found work as a nanny in Madison, and Ugarte-Arenas found a restaurant job. 

ICE last month arrested the couple during a routine check-in at DHS’ field office in downtown Milwaukee, forcing them to argue their asylum case in the immigration court system. Ugarte-Arenas remains in Dodge County, while his wife sits in a county jail in northern Kentucky. Another recent Board of Immigration Appeals decision limits their ability to post bond and continue their case while reunited in Wisconsin. 

The couple appeared in court for the first time on Nov. 12, both via video call. Though separated by hundreds of miles, the cinderblock walls behind them made their settings look almost identical. 

As they waited for their case to reach the top of the queue, the couple watched the court field-test the new rule on third-country deportations as the DHS attorney motioned to send another asylum seeker to an unnamed third country. But when Judge Eva Saltzman called their case, the DHS attorney did not make the same motion.

“When you move this quickly and have this volume of cases, not every case gets treated the same,” said Ben Crouse, an attorney representing the couple. The inconsistency, Crouse said, reflects the “crazy arbitrariness of the system.” 

After scheduling a follow-up hearing, Saltzman allowed the couple to speak to one another for the first time since their arrest. 

“Everything will be OK, you hear me?” Ugarte-Arenas said through tears. 

Saltzman moved on to the next case.

Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup.

‘So sudden, so jarring’: Immigration ruling streamlines deportations to countries asylum seekers barely know is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Despite the federal government shut down and amid students continuing to die or be injured in the school bus “Danger Zone,” the Senate agreed on the importance of child safety with a resolution designating October 2025 as School Bus Safety Month.

Introduced by Sens. Deb Fischer of Nebraska and Gary Peters of Michigan, Senate Resolution 484 was filed on Nov. 5 and the full chamber agreed via unanimous consent to the language Monday. But it was originally scheduled for a vote on Oct. 1, the first day of the government shutdown.

“We stayed on them every day to get together and vote on it even with the government shutdown, which was very hard to do,” said Ward Leber, founder of the Child Safety Network, which has been the organization championing the resolution since 2013, when current Senate Majority Leader John Thune threw his full support behind it. “When both sides knew internally a deal was going to happen to reopen within a few days, our constant pushing paid off.”

Leber said this year’s resolution is dedicated to the memories of two 11-year-old girls who were killed as they were boarding and exiting their school buses.

“As a sergeant, a supervisor of school resource officers, and most of all as a father, I know the deadly outcome that can occur when drivers illegally pass school buses,” said Sgt. Dan Sperry, who spoke at STN EXPO West in 2016. “My 11-year-old daughter Makayla died in my arms just after stepping off her bus. I am proud to serve alongside the volunteers of CSN’s Senior Advisory Board, and grateful for all of the dedicated school bus professionals working every day to prevent another family from suffering a preventable tragedy.”

Leandra Backner, whose daughter was killed in 2022 after she tripped and was run over by her school bus, said “it warms my hear that the U.S. Senate has upheld School Bus Safety Month since 2013, honoring Annaliese’s memory through its ongoing commitment to safety.”

Sen. Peters said in a statement parents should have “peace of mind that when they drop their kids off at the bus stop, they will get to school and back home safely.”

The resolution results in funding for an NFL-themed PSA that alerts the public when it’s not safe to pass, especially when a stopped school bus is involved. The program is scheduled to launch in early 2026 around the Super Bowl.

It also touts the CSN Safe Ride campaign that offers school bus driver training, school bus technology, and free safety and security resources to school districts. To date, CSN said it has provided security awareness training materials to over 14,000 public and private schools, trained over 125,000 school bus operators and provided more than 175,000 counter-terrorism guides.

Peters also introduced last month the Brake for Kids Act to create a PSA about the dangers of illegally passing school buses.

In his home state, the Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation recently filmed a PSA with NASCAR driver Ryan Preece, a member of the RFK Racing Team owned by Jack Roush, the founder and chairman of Roush Enterprises that includes ROUSH CleanTech. The company provides propane autogas and gasoline fuel systems to Blue Bird in partnership with Ford.

Related: STN EXPO Speaker to Discuss Daughter’s School Bus Death
Related: Colorado Senate Approves $5.5M to Improve School Bus Safety
Related: School Bus Drivers, “What’s Important Now?”
Related: Senate Recognizes School Bus Safety Month in ‘Tribute Year’

The post Senate Supports October School Bus Safety Month for 12th Consecutive Year appeared first on School Transportation News.

Ford is widening the reach of its “hands-off” driving tech, showing just how quickly features once kept for top-tier models are filtering into everyday vehicles. BlueCruise now targets the brand’s most accessible SUVs in Europe, giving buyers a taste of advanced driver assistance without having to climb the price ladder.

Besides the Puma and the fully electric Puma Gen-E, the system will soon be offered on the Kuga compact SUV and the Ranger PHEV midsize pickup as part of an optional Driver Assistance Pack.

The BlueCruise made its European debut with the Mustang Mach-E in 2023, before gradually expanding from the UK to 16 countries across the continent.

More: Ford Racing Is Readying A Secret ‘Road Car’ For January

Starting from spring 2026, Ford’s small and compact SUVs and its midsize pickup will also be offered with the hands-free system. That leaves only the VW-based Capri and Explorer EVs, the Transit/Tourneo range, and the ICE Mustang without access to the technology.

The BlueCruise, which is based on the Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control, allows the driver to take their hands off the wheel while keeping their eyes on the road. It manages acceleration, braking, and steering, with cameras and sensors monitoring traffic, lane markings, and even the driver’s gaze and head position to ensure attentiveness.

More: Ford’s Ranger Street Truck Just Got Louder And Greener With New PHEV Punch

In Europe, the BlueCruise can be activated on over 135,000 km (84,000 miles) of highways, which are marked as “Blue Zones”. For example, one could use it to travel from Stockholm to Rome, covering 2,000 km (1,500 miles) across six countries and totaling around 25 hours of hands-free driving.

Globally, Ford and Lincoln owners have logged over 888 million km (552 million miles) using BlueCruise-equipped vehicles. However, the majority of those were most likely covered in North America.

The company says that the tech will be available in “selected new model year vehicles” of the Puma, Puma Gen-E, Kuga, and Ranger PHEV starting in spring 2026. Subscription options and pricing for the Driver Assistance Pack will be announced closer to that date.

The BlueCruise is currently available in select European markets, including Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – HopSkipDrive, a technology company solving complex
transportation challenges for more than 13,500 schools, today announced key enhancements to its industry-leading safety program. The company has launched a strengthened educational curriculum for CareDrivers, developed in partnership with child development experts, and will be rolling out a more sophisticated, skills-based CareDriver certification process to offer enhanced support for all students, including those with diverse needs and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).

This dual investment raises the industry bar by shifting from fixed quantitative requirements to a more thoughtful, qualitative assessment of a candidate’s caregiving capabilities. As part of the HopSkipDrive 15-point certification process, this skills-based video screening moves beyond fixed requirements to a more meaningful evaluation of a candidate’s situational judgment, empathy, and readiness to work with children. Because HopSkipDrive maintains a direct relationship with the CareDriver community, the company is uniquely positioned to implement these higher standards for screening and ongoing education, contributing to its industry-leading safety and compliance record.

In parallel, HopSkipDrive has launched new educational modules designed to provide CareDrivers with leading-edge skills to support neurodivergent riders. The curriculum was developed in partnership with Jenifer Eaton, MA, BCBA and Timothy Humphrey, M.S.Ed., BCBA, of Rooted in Play, as well as Steve Nederveld, former Director of Mental Health for Cherry Creek Schools.

Eaton and Nederveld also recently joined HopSkipDrive’s Safety Advisory Council. The program focuses on understanding sensory sensitivities, de-escalation techniques, and communication strategies.

“Safety and trust are the foundation of everything we do, and this evolution of our programs represents a deeper commitment to those values. We know that being a great caregiver starts with prior experience, and is further developed with the resources and education HopSkipDrive provides once CareDrivers are on the platform,” said Jen Brandenburger, SVP of Safety at HopSkipDrive. “By pairing a more intelligent, skills-based certification process with expert-led continuing education, we can help ensure CareDrivers are exceptionally prepared to support every child. This holistic approach raises the standard for the entire student transportation industry and reinforces our commitment to being the most trusted partner for schools and families.”

The new initiative reflects HopSkipDrive’s dedication to providing the most empathetic and effective specialized transportation solutions, built upon a foundation that includes trauma-informed care education, Child Abuse and Neglect screenings, and three types of rigorous background checks.

“A safe, positive ride to school plays a crucial role in a student’s overall success and that begins with a prepared, empathetic adult behind the wheel,” said Jenifer Eaton. “HopSkipDrive’s commitment to helping CareDrivers better understand trauma-informed practices and the unique needs of neurodivergent students is truly invaluable. By equipping CareDrivers with these insights and strategies, we’re building a more compassionate and responsive system, one that ensures every student is supported with the patience, understanding, and respect they deserve.”

The new education modules are now available to all CareDrivers on the platform, and the enhanced certification process will begin rolling out to new applicants over the coming weeks.

About HopSkipDrive
HopSkipDrive is a technology company that solves complex transportation challenges where there is a heightened need for safety, equity, and care. HopSkipDrive is modernizing the $30 billion school transportation industry through two core solutions: a care-centered transportation marketplace and an industry-leading transportation intelligence platform, RouteWise AI.

HopSkipDrive’s marketplace supplements school buses and existing transportation options by connecting kids to highly-vetted caregivers on wheels, such as grandparents, babysitters, and nurses in local communities. RouteWise AI helps schools and districts address critical challenges, including budget cuts, bus driver shortages, and reaching climate goals. HopSkipDrive has supported over 13,500 schools across 17 states, with nearly 1,300 school districts, government agencies, and nonprofit partners. More than five million rides over 95 million miles have been
completed through HopSkipDrive since the company was founded in 2014 by three working mothers.

The post HopSkipDrive Elevates Safety Standards with New CareDriver Education Programs and Enhanced Certification Process appeared first on School Transportation News.

The electric car age has rewritten the meaning of quick, with even family runabouts now capable of supercar-style launches from a set of lights. What once belonged to exotic badges has become a party trick for mid-range sedans and crossovers alike.

Now China’s latest draft vehicle regulation looks set to spoil the fun, or at least delay it. Under a proposed update to the National Standard, every passenger car would need a default mode in which it takes no less than five seconds to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) at startup, unless the driver manually selects a quicker setting.

The draft title “Technical Specifications for Power-Driven Vehicles Operating on Roads” appears to be part of a broader safety and road behavior initiative in China. It is intended to replace the current GB 7258-2017 standard that didn’t impose such restrictions.

More: China Might Kill Electric Flush Door Handles With These New Rules

Section 10.5.4 of the new proposal states: “After each power-on/ignition of a passenger vehicle (excluding automatic engine start-stop), the vehicle should be in a state where the 100 km/h acceleration time is not less than 5 seconds.”

The default performance-restricting mode at startup could work much like the output-limiting Eco setting found in most EVs, managed entirely through software. Drivers could still switch to a faster mode, though they’d need to repeat the process every time they power on the car.

Europe has a somewhat parallel rule, requiring cars to have speed limit warnings, although those systems only alert rather than restrict.

If approved, the rule would apply to all passenger cars in China regardless of powertrain, though it would most affect the growing fleet of lightning-fast EVs.

Models like the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra (1.98 seconds to 100 km/h), Zeekr 001 FR (2.02 seconds), Tesla Model S Plaid (2.1 seconds), and BYD Yangwang U9 (2.36 seconds) would all fall under the new restriction, even if only temporarily after startup.

Speed Warnings On Your Limo

A separate draft titled “Safety Specifications for Power-Driven Vehicles Operating on Roads” includes another speed-related rule, this time targeting longer passenger models.

Section 10.5.1 reads: “Passenger vehicles with a length of 6 m or more shall have an overspeed alarm function, capable of triggering an alarm via visual or audible signals when the speed exceeds the maximum permissible speed (the maximum permissible speed shall not exceed 100km/h), except for those with compliant speed limiting functions or devices.”

While most large SUVs and minivans stay below the six-meter mark, the rule could apply to stretched limousines. One such example is the previous-generation Rolls-Royce Phantom VII Extended Wheelbase, which measures 6,092 mm (239.8 in). Its successor, slightly shorter at 5,982 mm (235.5 in), would just avoid triggering the alarm requirement.

DENVER, Colo. — EverDriven, the leader in Alternative Student Transportation, is proud to announce the winners of its inaugural Modern Student Transportation Awards. The Awards recognize school district leaders who are applying forward-thinking solutions to get students to school safely and reliably, every single day. The winners were formally announced and honored during the 2025 TSD Conference in Dallas, Texas.

After receiving dozens of inspiring nominations from across the country, EverDriven is honored to spotlight four exceptional winners whose work exemplifies the future of student mobility. The winners were selected by a panel of judges from across the student transportation and education industries, including Mitch Bowling, CEO of EverDriven; Barbara Duffield, Executive Director of SchoolHouse Connection; Kevin Gordon, President at Capital Advisors; and Glenna Wright-Gallo, Vice President of Policy at Everway.

2025 Modern Student Transportation Award Winners

Equity in Education Accessibility Award

Jeremy Stowe – Director of Transportation at Buncombe County Schools, North Carolina

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Jeremy built a new transportation system in record time to support more than 1,200 Buncombe County students experiencing housing instability across 660 square miles. His leadership turned crisis into action, keeping students connected to their schools and communities with speed, equity, and deep compassion.

Humanitarian Award

Earl Kent III – Route Planning Manager at Denver Public Schools, Colorado

Earl’s compassion and ingenuity have made him a champion for students facing housing instability. From using AI to route students to their new schools after school closures to solving everyday challenges with empathy, Earl ensures every child has a safe ride and a trusted advocate, no matter the hour or circumstance.

Safety & Reliability Award

Kayla Denaco – Assistant Director of Transportation at Lewiston Public Schools, Maine

Kayla transformed Lewiston’s transportation system from dated and paper-based to a fully digitized, efficient operation. Her work has improved safety, saved thousands in district costs, and ensured over 600 McKinney-Vento students received reliable and dignified transportation.

Top Innovator

Quanika Dukes-Spruill – Executive Director of Pupil Transportation at Newark Public Schools, New Jersey

As Executive Director of Pupil Transportation for New Jersey’s largest school district, Quanika Dukes-Spruill is redefining the future of student mobility. Through her visionary leadership, Newark has implemented smarter vendor management, advanced routing technologies, and forward-thinking state advocacy—achieving measurable cost savings while ensuring transportation solutions remain equitable, efficient, and centered on students’ needs.

“This year’s honorees, and every nominee, represent the heart of what makes modern student transportation so special,” said Mitch Bowling, CEO of EverDriven. “Across the country, leaders are raising the bar with creativity, compassion, and courage to ensure every student has a safe and consistent ride to school. The individuals recognized through these awards embody that shared mission, and we’re proud to celebrate all who are driving this work forward.”

To honor their efforts, each winner receives a personalized crystal award, a digital winner’s seal for use across marketing materials and social media, travel and registration to the 2025 TSD Conference, and a $2,500 college scholarship to be awarded to a student in their district who qualifies under the McKinney-Vento Act or receives special education services.

As EverDriven looks ahead to 2026, the Modern Student Transportation Awards will continue to elevate the voices of those who make equity, safety, and innovation possible every day. Nominations for next year’s program will open in the summer, inviting districts across the country to share the stories of those driving meaningful impact for students. Congratulations to all nominees and finalists for their extraordinary efforts. Their stories will continue to inspire the future of student transportation.

About EverDriven:
EverDriven delivers modern student-centered transportation that’s safe, consistent, and built for those who need it most. EverDriven specializes in transporting students across a wide range of needs — from everyday support to the most complex circumstances — including students with disabilities, students experiencing housing instability, and other high-need populations. Serving more than 800 districts across 36 states, the company completed over 2 million trips last year, 99.99% of them accident-free with 100% safety compliance. EverDriven’s deeply human, fully compliant, and AI-powered approach helps districts get students on the road in hours, not days, while maintaining consistent, high-trust rides that complement traditional yellow bus fleets. For more information, visit everdriven.com.

The post EverDriven Announces Winners of Inaugural Modern Student Transportation Awards appeared first on School Transportation News.

FRISCO, Texas — When Lisa Navarra stood before a room of Transporting Students with Disabilities (TSD) and Special Needs Conference attendees, she didn’t see people who were “just” drivers, trainers, supervisors or directors. She saw leaders. Leaders who manage people, time and safety every day. Those who guide drivers to guide students to be consistent, calm and confident before the first bell even rings.

“Transportation is so much more than transit,” she reminded them durig her Monday morning keynote. “You create the environment that students step into each morning, one that can set the tone for their entire day.”

For Navarra, the journey from special education teacher to school transportation trainer was fueled by purpose, and a realization that behavior management, emotional regulation and growth mindset strategies weren’t just for classrooms. They belonged on school buses, too, she said.

Her message was simple yet transformative: When transportation professionals see themselves as educators and role models, they empower students to feel safe, regulate their emotions and be ready to learn.

She noted the process starts with meeting the kids where they were at.

“But where are we at?” she asked, adding another question to consider is, “What do I need to do to reach this child, to ride safely?”

Supervisors, she noted, need to support and empower drivers to better breakdown the silos between education and transportation.

She said when one sees themself as a professional who is prepared to manage challenges, it gives a sense a validation and thus a sense of purpose. Instead of waiting to see what students are capable of, be proactive in demonstrating and announcing behaviors they want to see on the bus, she advised.

Navarra asked, “Why are we making things so complicated?” She noted the impact of a positive school bus environment, speaking the language educators speak and creating a safe, meaningful environment that kids are ready to learn in.

Sometimes drivers need strategies on how to teach developmentally appropriate behavior, she said, adding that students might not know what safe behavior is. If they don’t explain what safe behavior should look like, she said students will never know how to meet expectations.

For drivers who are stuck in a rut or look at driving as “just a job,” she encouraged attendees to remind them that they are managing the learning environment. Raymond Forsberg, director of transportation at Mesquite Independent School District in Texas, said he tells his school bus drivers they manage people, time and money.

“I remind them how they’re leaders. I compare what they do, to what I do. I tell them how they manage people, time and money,” he said. “Let them know they are part of the ownership. Remind them of how they are leaders. We’re all here for the paycheck. The people drivers manage are the students, for time they have keep to the schedule and the money part is the 150,000 vehicle they’re driving.”

Related: Education Leader Challenges Transportation Professionals to Reimagine Compliance and Student Access
Related: Legal Keynote Opens Attendees’ Eyes to Federal Special Needs Transportation Laws
Related: Mother of Sandy Hook Victim Discusses Tragedy Planning for Students with Disabilities

Additionally, Navarra provided examples and research that illustrates the importance of not praising the ability, but the process and effort that students or even drivers give.

Phrases like “great job” or “you’re so smart” don’t provide the student with context into what type of behavior is correct and needs to be recreated. Instead, she advised, saying phrases like, “You did a great job being safe when you entered the bus and put your seatbelt on.”

Other examples of behavior-specific praise are:

• “I have noticed how you are trying your best to speak quietly today. Thank you.”
• “I admire the way you are trying to keep your feet out of the aisle.”
• “You took a breath when the bus got noisy, and you stayed calm.”
• “You were very thoughtful when you said hello to the new student.”

She underscored the importance of using behavior-specific praise with action and outcome, which can lead to a learning experience. Navarra continued, saying general praise can sound encouraging, but it does not clearly communicate the behaviors we want students to internalize and demonstrate independently.

She provided factors to consider, such as the setting (private or public) and the type of praise (non-behavior specific or specific.)

She provided the following guidelines on how to praise:

1. Be sincere
2. Be specific
3. Praise students on the ‘what’ they can change
4. Be mindful when praising easily earned achievements
5. Be mindful when praising for doing what they love
6. Encourage mastery of skills instead of comparing themselves to others

Bobbi Bican, the transportation account manager for Lincoln Intermediate Unit #12 in New Oxford, Pennsylvania, said following the keynote positive feedback and not settling for non-specific phrases like, “Great job” resonated for her.

Instead of settling for non-specific praise, she said she’s going to try and re-phrase her praise by saying, “Great job, sitting down in your seat today, being safe.” She noted that she learned the importance of showing the behavior and building that safe environment.

“I’m so excited to have learned that today,” she said, adding she plans to put some systems in place with her drivers and team to “give them the power.”

The post Closing TSD Keynote Bridges Gap Between Student Behavior, Positive Reinforcement appeared first on School Transportation News.

FRISCO, Texas — Betsey Helfrich said school district polices never trump the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. “There is always an exception for a child with a disability,” said the special education legal expert during her keynote address, Avoiding the Bumps & Legal Hazards in Student Transportation, Saturday during the Transporting Students with Disabilities (TSD) and Special Needs Conference.

Helfrich, who practices special education law in Missouri and Kansas, provided an overview of legal updates, court cases and compliance practices in student transportation. She focused on students with disabilities under IDEA and Section 504. The session emphasized how transportation decisions intersect with legal requirements, equity and student safety, urging districts to train staff, document decisions and avoid blanket policies.

Despite current events on the federal level, such as the proposed closing the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and funding cuts, IDEA and Section 504 remain fully in effect. Congress would need to vote to disband the U.S. Department of Transportation as well as where IDEA and Section 504 oversight would move to. Funding shifts do not change the underlying rights, she said.

She provided brief overview of each law, noting that attendees in the room should go back to their school districts and teach their school bus drivers the same thing, so they understand the importance of federal requirements.

IDEA is a funded law requiring Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Transportation can be a “related service” if necessary for a student to benefit from an free and appropriate public education, or FAPE, in the least restrictive environment, or LRE. Section 504 is a civil rights law focused on equal access and nondiscrimination. It is broader, older and less specific than IDEA, and not tied to any monetary gains. She said Section 504 has not been updated since it was written in 1977.

Typically, Helfrich said, students should not have both an IEP and a 504 plan, as everything in the IEP is essentially a contract. She advised being cautious with automatic decisions like “door-to-door” transport, noting that the IEP team must determine needs on a case-by-case basis.

She provided court case examples, citing instances in which parents won and others which districts won, depending on the request and circumstances. She particularly stressed the importance of avoiding discrimination on field trips, extracurricular activities and other events.

For districts that rely on policy, she said they are opening themselves up a lawsuit, as “we don’t do that here” is not a legal defense.

An attendee told School Transportation News following the keynote that Helfrich is very knowledgeable and was able to speak globally on transporting students with disabilities. Even though she touched on different states, the attendee said the rules are the same, because the laws are the same.

The attendee from Maryland said she will be involved in a case next week. She noted that while her school district policy says one thing, it doesn’t mean it meets the needs of the student and federal law. “That was a huge eye-opening moment for me,” she said, noting that they shouldn’t be saying some things as it not legally true.

Helfrich said IEPs should specify supports like wheelchair lifts, on-board attendents or aides, and climate-controlled buses, but parents cannot dictate who drives the student and the type of vehicle used, unless it is pertinent to the child’s disability.

She reminded attendees to inform contractors of relevant IEP details, as they are part of the need-to-know under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, that protects student records. It is different from HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which protects personal health information.

Related: Mother of Sandy Hook Victim Discusses Tragedy Planning for Students with Disabilities
Related: Transportation Director Shares How Propane Buses Benefit Special Needs Routes
Related: Download App for 2025 TSD Conference
Related: Gallery: TSD Conference Hands-On Training, Ride & Drive, Welcome Party

Students with disabilities also have additional rights regarding behavior and discipline. However, school bus suspensions over 10 days will trigger a Manifestation Determination Review, where the behavior will be evaluated to determine if it is related or not to a student’s disability.

She said school bus drivers should be trained on Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs), including triggers and calming strategies. Plus, Helfrich said when a child needs to be searched due to reasonable suspicion of having a weapon, she advised having policies and procedures in place. For instance, does the school bus driver search the child or call for assistance?

While Section 504 provides for the reasonable accommodation of service animals and protects students from being discriminated against for using them, she cautioned the attendees to know the difference between service animals and emotional support animals. Only trained service animals performing tasks are protected under the broader ADA. Emotional support animals are not.

In conclusion, Helfrich advised attendees to train all staff, especially school bus drivers, on IDEA, Section 504 and district procedures. Document all staff participation and policy adherence. She underscored the importance of collaboration with special education and IEP teams before making unilateral changes to the IEP in terms of transportation. She noted the importance of reviewing and updating polices to avoid blanket decisions or discrimination risks and to plan for staff absences and service disruptions.

The post Legal Keynote Opens Attendees’ Eyes to Federal Special Needs Transportation Laws appeared first on School Transportation News.

People sit in front of windows looking out on the tarmac at Salt Lake City International Airport in Salt Lake City on April 3, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps/Utah News Dispatch)

The 40 airports set to see a 10% reduction in flights during the government shutdown nearly matched the list of the nation’s busiest airports, according to a preliminary list seen by States Newsroom, potentially leading to thousands of flight cancellations across the country.

A 10% reduction at the listed airports would mean 3,300 canceled flights per day, according to Airports Council International-North America, the trade group for airports.

The Federal Aviation Administration had not released an official list of airports by early Thursday afternoon, but three sources familiar with the matter provided tables listing the proposed airports.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday that the FAA would cut air traffic at 40 major airports starting Friday to help alleviate stress for air traffic controllers who have been working without pay since the federal government shut down on Oct 1.

The airports on the preliminary list are: 

• Anchorage, Alaska
• Atlanta
• Baltimore
• Boston
• Charlotte, North Carolina
• Chicago Midway
• Chicago O’Hare
• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky
• Dallas/Forth Worth International
• Dallas Love Field
• Denver
• Detroit
• Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Florida
• Honolulu
• Houston George Bush Intercontinental
• Houston W.P. Hobby
• Indianapolis
• Las Vegas
• Louisville, Kentucky
• Los Angeles
• Miami
• Minneapolis/St. Paul
• Memphis, Tennessee
• Newark, New Jersey
• New York LaGuardia International
• New York John F. Kennedy International
• Orlando, Florida
• Oakland, California
• Ontario, California
• Portland, Oregon
• Philadelphia
• Phoenix
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• Salt Lake City
• Seattle/Tacoma
• Teterboro, New Jersey
• Tampa, Florida
• Washington, D.C. Reagan National and Dulles International, both in Northern Virginia

Busy Nashville, Raleigh-Durham not on list

While there is significant overlap of the list with the nation’s busiest airports, there are some exceptions. 

The busiest passenger airport not included was in Nashville, Tennessee, the 28th-busiest airport in the country in 2024, according to Airports Council International-North America.

Austin, Texas; St. Louis; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Sacramento, California; New Orleans; Kansas City; and San Jose, California, were also among the 40 busiest airports that will not see reductions Friday.

Memphis, Anchorage and Louisville rank outside the top 40 for passenger traffic, but are the top three for cargo movement.

Oakland and Indianapolis ranked just outside the top 40 for passenger travel. Teterboro’s airport did not rank in the group’s top 50 busiest.

$327 million in daily economic output lost 

A 10% reduction at the listed airports would decrease economic output at airports by about $327 million daily, according to the council.

Because the reductions are to the nation’s busiest airports that serve as hubs for the major airlines, they will also affect airports that aren’t on the list but depend on flights to and from those hubs.

The group’s president and CEO, Kevin M. Burke, said in a statement that the group and its members had adapted to quickly changing conditions during the shutdown, but that they were “reaching a breaking point.”

“The current trajectory is unsustainable,” Burke said. “With the busy holiday season on the horizon, Congress and the administration must come together now to reopen the federal government with a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution, pay federal employees, and restore operational certainty for the millions of air travelers who take to the skies every day.”

Prioritizing safety

At a press conference Wednesday, Duffy said the decision was made to keep flying safe. He urged overworked air traffic controllers not to work second jobs, but was “not naive” that many would have to in order to pay their bills.

He said the agency’s decision was made to prevent any accidents that could result from overworked controllers, while assuring the flying public that commercial air travel remained extremely safe.

President Donald Trump was less explicit during an Oval Office appearance Thursday. 

“Fair question,” he said when asked by a reporter if flying remained safe. “Sean Duffy announced they’re cutting in certain areas 10%, and they want to make sure it’s 100% safe. That’s why they’re doing it.”

Dems call for shutdown end

Some Democratic lawmakers, who have blocked a bill to temporarily reopen the government at fiscal 2025 levels in an effort to force Republicans to negotiate an extension to tax credits for insurance purchased on the Affordable Care Act marketplace, renewed those calls in light of the FAA’s decision.

Sen. Tina Smith, a Minnesota Democrat, said in a statement the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport sees a daily average of 60,000 passengers on 750 flights.

She called on Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to negotiate with her party on the expiring health insurance tax credits to reopen the government “so we don’t see the impacts like the ones at MSP.”

“The only path forward is through negotiating, so air traffic in the skies above Minnesota and the country can keep operating safely and at full capacity and our government can finally open up again,” she said.

House Transportation and Infrastructure ranking Democrat Rick Larsen of Washington state called the Duffy move “drastic and unprecedented” and requested the FAA share data that went into the decision. 

He also called for an end to the shutdown to allow air traffic controllers to be paid.

“Shutting down parts of our National Airspace System is a dramatic and unprecedented step that demands more transparency,” he said. “The FAA must immediately share any safety risk assessment and related data that this decision is predicated on with Congress. If we want to resolve issues in the NAS, let us fix health care, open government and pay transportation and aviation safety workers.”

Discover the new STN Transportation Director of the Year featured on our November issue cover. Other headlines include a NHTSA investigation after a driverless Waymo car illegally passed a stopped school bus and NTSB recommendations on seatbelts following a Texas school bus crash.

Frank Girardot, senior communications director for RIDE, discusses the electric school bus manufacturer’s School Bus Safety Week efforts.

Jennifer Gardella, director of transportation for Rockwall Independent School District in Texas and a 2025 STN Rising Star, discusses her childcare background, improving student relationships, training staff and receiving inspiration from fellow student transporters.

Read more about operations.

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Images courtesy of Jennifer Gardella. 

Stream, subscribe and download the School Transportation Nation podcast on Apple Podcasts, Deezer, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher and YouTube.

The post (STN Podcast E281) Catalyst for Change: Electric School Bus Safety, Inspired Texas Rising Star appeared first on School Transportation News.

For the past 10 years, School Transportation News has requested nominations of student transporters who are demonstrating leadership or innovation in their school bus operations but may not have received the public or industry-wide recognition they deserve. Ten individuals are highlighted in the November issue of the magazine.

Nicole Brown
Bus Driver/Training & Safety Coordinator
Burnt Hills/Ballston Lake Transportation, New York
I am recommending Nicole Brown as a candidate for a nominee as a Rising Star. Nicole started her employment with Burnt Hills/Ballston Lake in 2007 as a substitute school bus driver. Over the years, she has been an exceptional school bus driver showing patience and guidance to all of her students. Her driving record is exemplary. She later became our SBDI instructor and 19A trainer, and is now our training and safety coordinator as well. Nicole has guided our new staff into successful driving tests results and is continually working on improving our safety and knowledge with our ever changing DMV and federal
guidelines.

Paul Ahn
Senior General Manager
Zūm – Seattle, Washington and San Francisco, California
Paul Ahn serves as senior general manager at Zūm, where he oversees operations for Seattle Public Schools and San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).
Since joining Zūm in 2022 as general manager — he was the company’s first employee in Seattle, where he built the bus yard from the ground up — Ahn has demonstrated superior management and leadership skills. This year Ahn moved into a senior leadership role, where he now also oversees Zūm’s team in San Francisco.
In recent months, Ahn has overseen Zūm’s expansion in Seattle, which includes a second bus yard. In San Francisco, Ahn added 300 bus drivers.
“Paul has truly been a game changer for SF operations,” said Tomas Beccar Varela, interim executive director of student transportation for SFUSD. “His professionalism and extensive experience have raised the bar for our entire team. Paul consistently approaches challenges with a solution-oriented mindset, always focusing on actionable plans that move us forward. His attention to detail is evident in everything he does, and it’s clear that he takes great pride in delivering quality results.”
Other achievements include managing about 250 drivers and serving on a committee to help train and support new managers. Ahn is a respected leader and ensures there are opportunities for career growth on his team. He works hard to promote diversity and inclusion; for example, he created a nondenominational religious observance room at the Seattle bus yard. “I want everyone to feel included,” he said.
Ahn excels in handling the challenges and high-level coordination his job requires and credits some of this to his experience working at FedEx and in the hotel industry. His positive, driver-first work culture focuses on communication and keeping drivers safe and comfortable with all the tools and training they need.

Fred Amstutz
Lead Mechanic/School Bus Driver
Post School District #273, Idaho
Fred serves as our lead mechanic. I frequently highlight the value of having more team members who possess his qualities. He consistently maintains a positive attitude, demonstrates a strong willingness to learn and actively shares his knowledge with others. His work ethic is exemplary. Additionally, he volunteers his time to his church and community. I would like to recognize him as a highly valuable member of our team.
Fred is a key component to the success of our daily operation. Not only does he have the knowledge and expertise to handle all of the mechanical issues that arise with our fleet of 49 vehicles, he is the first to volunteer for extra service to our department. Anything from barbecuing the burgers to driving our bus in the local parade, to doing a sports trip, to running a bus route. Fred is easy to approach and listens attentively to drivers concerns about the buses. Fred takes directive well, yet is never hesitant to use his own voice when asked for input. Our respect for and appreciation of Fred is heartfelt.

Debra Ard
Transportation Supervisor
Orangeburg County School District, South Carolina
Mrs. Debra Ard exemplifies the qualities of a rising star in student transportation through her exceptional leadership, dedication and decades-long commitment to student safety and operational excellence. With more than 40 years of service—spanning roles as a teacher’s assistant, bus driver, driver trainer, and currently as transportation supervisor for Orangeburg County School District—Mrs. Ard has demonstrated unmatched resilience, adaptability and professional growth.
Her outstanding contributions were recently recognized when she was nominated for and awarded the 2024–2025 South Carolina Association of Pupil Transportation (SCAPT) Administrator of the Year, presented at SCAPT’s 50th Anniversary Conference in July 2025. This prestigious honor reflects her impactful leadership, her ability to foster collaboration among staff and her consistent efforts to improve transportation operations for the benefit of students and families.
Mrs. Ard is known for her integrity, compassion, and unwavering focus on student-centered service. She leads with humility while inspiring excellence in others, creating a culture of trust, accountability and continuous improvement. Her commitment to operational efficiency, staff development and safety innovation has elevated the performance and morale of her department. Through her vision, experience and genuine care for people, Mrs. Ard not only meets expectations—she consistently exceeds them. Her proven record of accomplishments, recent state-level recognition, and exemplary leadership make her a deserving candidate for the STN Rising Transportation Star honor.

LaTedra Bailey
Director of Transportation
Huffman ISD, Texas
I am pleased to recommend Ms. Bailey for recognition, as she has demonstrated exceptional leadership and resilience in her role as a new director. She has worked diligently to build up the department while rebuilding the trust of both staff and the community. Her positivity, willingness to help at all times, and ability to foster teamwork have significantly increased morale. Despite facing serious challenges such as ongoing construction issues and driver shortages, Ms. Bailey has overcome these obstacles with grace and determination, setting a strong foundation for continued success.

Travis Bean
Bus Mechanic
Carroll Consolidated School Corporation, Indiana
Travis Bean has revamped and organized bus garage upon hiring. He has great response and rapport with bus drivers and transportation contacts at each building in our corporation and has improved first visit state inspection passing rates to at or nearly perfect on an annual basis. Travis created a pit stop area for the “Kindy 500” for kindergartners to repair their cardboard boxes during race day at the end of the year and decorates school buses with the Christmas theme for our annual Flora Christmas Parade. He assists in cost saving measures with transportation such as route creation/updates and reducing fuel consumption and helps as needed with snow removal and other winter related tasks.

Lauren Beaty
Grants and Engagement Manager
Blue Bird Corporation, Georgia
Lauren started with Blue Bird around three years ago and was enlisted with reimagining our community efforts and managing all grant and EPA related projects. She single-handedly reinstated our charitable foundations and took on several grant related projects that led to our award of the MESC Grant in 2025. Lauren is a strong leader with a true and honest passion for the community and what we strive for at Blue Bird. She is always a positive sounding board for others and never hesitates to lend a hand. She believes that a company has a duty to it’s community and employees and works hard to ensure that Blue Bird continues to grow it’s roots, not only here in Georgia but nationwide.

Russell Bergeron
Mechanic
Marysville Joint Unified School District, California
Works hard and helps others when not asked to. When theres slow day he cleans the shop without being told, always stays busy.

William Bramblette III
Transportation/Maintenance Director
Heath City Schools, Ohio
Transportation: Implemented Tyler technology routing system with tablets for all student transportation. Purchased a new 2025 International wheelchair bus, purchased a new 2024 Isuzu box truck for transporting band instruments and props and a used 2018 Micro Blue Bird school bus. Updated the RCI real-time camera system with Wi-Fi capability on all fleet vehicles.
Maintenance: Replaced all heating and cooling in our Heath Middle School and Heath High School, updated playground layouts, repaired all heaters and thermostats in transportation garage with regular maintenance contract will all buildings. Updated all toiletry contract with Cintas, including items for mechanics and bus drivers.
Leadership traits: Communication, dedication, integrity, confident and resilient.

Micah Brassfield
Vice President of Operations
TransPar, Nationwide (Texas-based)
Building upon a family legacy of excellence in student transportation, Micah exhibits a rare and exceptional combination of professionalism, expertise, and passion for her work. Inspired by her father’s four decades (and counting!) of service in student transportation, Micah developed an understanding early on of both the operational complexities and the critical role transportation plays in a student’s educational journey. As the vice president of TransPar, every recommendation Micah makes to our clients and every action she takes in her work reflects her unwavering commitment to safety, operational excellence and support for students, educational leaders and the communities she serves. Her dedication to these core principles has allowed her to support hundreds of school districts across the U.S., annually, with implementing improvements to their transportation operations long term.
Beginning her career as an educator, Micah’s approach to student transportation is driven by a deep appreciation for equitable access to education, an insight that continues to shape her student-first approach. This perspective has made her not only a powerful advocate for student transportation, but also a compassionate, solutions-driven leader who empowers those around her while fostering a culture grounded in humility and mutual respect.
Micah is, without question, one of the most knowledgeable professionals in the field of student transportation. Yet what truly sets her apart is her authenticity, integrity and the admirable way she leads—by example, with both conviction and heart.

Michael E Brown
Founder/President/CEO
Michael’s Transportation Service, Inc., California
Why Michael E. Brown Should Be Considered for This Recognition
1. Founder and Visionary Leader
Michael E. Brown is the founder and CEO of Michael’s Transportation Service, Inc., an Employee-Owned Company that has been safely serving California’s students, seniors, and communities since 1982. Under his leadership, the company has grown from a single bus to a fleet recognized statewide for excellence in safety, reliability, and professionalism.
2. Commitment to Workforce Development and Second Chances
Through the establishment of MTS Training Academy, Inc., Michael created a pathway for thousands of individuals—including returning citizens and underserved populations—to become licensed, trained, and gainfully employed in the commercial driving industry. His academy is a beacon of economic empowerment and social impact, certified by the State of California and respected across the workforce development community.
3. Positive Leadership Traits
Servant Leadership: Michael Brown leads with humility, heart, and a deep commitment to people over profit.
Faith-Driven Vision: His values shape the culture of both MTS and the Academy, placing integrity, accountability, and purpose at the forefront.
Mentorship & Legacy Building: He actively mentors leaders within and beyond his company, positioning the next generation—including family—toward sustainable success.
Resilience & Innovation:.From navigating economic downturns to expanding training opportunities, he has shown enduring strength and adaptability.
4. Awards and Recognitions*
Recently acclaimed Contractor of the Year for 2025 by the National School Bus Fleet Magazine
Honored by state and local officials for **outstanding contributions to workforce development
Recognized by churches and nonprofits for faith-based leadership and service
Celebrated for over four decades of safe, student-centered transportation
5. Legacy of Excellence and Impact
Michael Brown has created more than a company—he’s built a legacy rooted in faith, family, and freedom through the company ESOP. His leadership has touched lives across California, restored dignity to the overlooked, and created economic mobility for countless families.

Bernando Brown
Director, Student Transportation
DeKalb County School District, Georgia
Bernando C. Brown exemplifies what it means to be a rising star in student transportation leadership. Though his impact spans years of service, his approach to the work, the culture he builds and the systems he implements reflect a leader who is just getting started in terms of influence and innovation.
Since assuming the role of director of student transportation for DeKalb County School District, Georgia’s third-largest school system, Bernando has transformed how transportation is led, measured, and aligned to student outcomes.
He has rebuilt the department’s leadership structure to focus on performance accountability and team development, created and delivered original leadership training series aligned with district priorities, elevated recruitment and retention through targeted initiatives, mentorship models and a focus on purpose-driven work culture, spearheaded strategic upgrades in fleet modernization and service delivery systems and championed student safety through operational readiness practices modeled after his military background.
Bernando’s leadership style is straightforward, transparent and built on mutual respect. He challenges his team to think critically, solve problems and lead with integrity. He doesn’t micromanage, he equips.
He was recently honored as the Metro RESA Transportation Director of the Year for SY 2025, a recognition that reflects the impact he has had not only in DeKalb but across the state through professional development, mentorship and strategic partnerships. He also serves on several advisory boards and regularly contributes to statewide initiatives and national conversations. In every setting, Bernando leads with clarity, urgency, and compassion. He doesn’t seek the spotlight, but his work speaks volumes.

Lyle Campbell
Operations Director
Amanda-Clearcreek Local Schools, Ohio
It is with great enthusiasm that I recommend Lyle Campbell as a rising star in the field of school transportation. In a remarkably short period of time, Lyle has made a lasting impact on our district through a combination of innovation, leadership and an unwavering commitment to students, families, and staff.
One of Lyle’s most impressive accomplishments was vetted, selected and implemented a new district-wide routing software—a feat in itself—but what sets him apart is that he personally routed over 1,100 students during winter break in his very first year on the job. This not only speaks to his work ethic, but also to his deep understanding of operational logistics and dedication to ensuring a smooth return to school for families and drivers alike.
In his pursuit of transparency and access, Lyle has opened up routing information to other district departments and to families, allowing both staff and parents to view bus assignments and real-time pickup and drop-off times. This has improved communication, reduced confusion, and increased confidence in our transportation system.
Lyle has also revamped the district’s bus maintenance program, introducing more proactive practices that have both reduced costly breakdowns and saved the district significant funds. He has secured grants and other funding sources to upgrade their aging bus camera systems and provide GPS-enabled tablets for substitute drivers, making their fleet safer and more efficient.
But Lyle’s greatest contribution goes beyond logistics and equipment—it’s the relationships he has built. He has worked hard to foster trust and open lines of communication with parents and students, making pupil management and bus stop safety top priorities. He demonstrates genuine compassion for his drivers, supporting them with difficult student situations and offering guidance and practical solutions rooted in empathy and respect.
He is also visible and accessible, regularly attending student sporting events and community activities, and always making time to speak with parents and residents who have questions or concerns. Perhaps most admirably, Lyle leads with humility—taking ownership and accountability, even when challenges arise that are beyond his direct control.
In every way, Lyle Campbell embodies what it means to be a dedicated and forward-thinking leader in school transportation. His blend of innovation, integrity and human connection sets him apart, and I have no doubt he will continue to accomplish great things in this field.

Brian Churovia
Transportation Director
Montour School District, Pennsylvania
In January 2023, Brian inherited a transportation department in shambles. Twenty-six out of his 60 buses failed state inspection within his first year. The department was also using routing technology that was so outdated they could no longer update it. Over the past two and a half years, Brian has updated the routing software to Athena Edulog, he has flipped the fleet and purchased 22 new vehicles while getting rid of 26 buses. He updated the cameras in the buses, radios, added GPS to half the buses so far and launched a parent portal app to allow parents to track their kids buses to and from school. In less than three years, Brian has taken an outdated, rusty old fleet and taken them to a new level where Montour can be proud and parents can feel safe and well provided for as their students go to and from school.

Carlos Cunningham
Delegated Behind the Wheel Trainer/Bus Driver
Lodi Unified School District, California
Carlos is the picture of what positive leadership traits are. His quiet confidence and quick creativeness ways in finding a positive solution, when brainstorming a problem. Carlos excels in every new task that he is given. Carlos is a quick learner and eager to learn new things. Carlos promotes positivity with his peers and co-worker when engaging in conversation.
When Carlos is training, he is soft spoken, relaxed and patient with the person he is training. This makes the trainee very comfortable. Carlos is going to the academy in Sacramento California to become a state certified instructor in January 2026.
Carlos was nominated employee of the year 2023-2024.

Tiffany Dameron
School Bus Operations Manager
National Trails School Bus, Detroit, Michigan
Tiffany Dameron has served as a leader within the pupil transportation industry for nearly a decade! Within this timeframe, she has excelled in the positions of dispatch supervisor, terminal manager, and, currently, school bus operations manager. In her role as school bus operations manager, Tiffany oversees the daily operations of Detroit Public School Community District’s second largest pupil transportation provider, National Trails School Bus, LLC, which serves the district’s total student population of 52,000, the largest in the State of Michigan. Along with her staff of 200 employees, including a safety director, dispatch supervisors, school bus drivers, school bus aides, sedan drivers, and mechanics, Tiffany ensures all of the DPSCD’s pupils entrusted to National Trails School Bus, LLC arrive to and from school each day safely and soundly!
According to National Trails School Bus, LLC’s Human Resources Director Matthew Shad, Tiffany is so successful in her role as school bus operations manager because she is not afraid to take initiative! He said, “Tiffany has embraced new technology and is using it as intended to create greater efficiencies and streamline processes. For example, with regard to our payroll system, Paylocity, Tiffany started utilizing the software to communicate to employees status changes without waiting for direction. Further, there have been lots of recent changes, and new processes have been developed and implemented relative to safety reporting. Tiffany has embraced these new processes and has worked to ensure that they have been applied properly and timely. Finally, regardless of what the topic/item/issue is, when I make initial contact to discuss this with Tiffany, she is already aware of the circumstances, which indicates she has her ‘finger on the pulse,’ and this is critical to operational excellence.”

Dawn Davalos
School Bus Driver
Byron-Bergen CSD, NY
Dawn has been driving school bus with our district for 20 years. She was chosen as “Professional Transportation of Year” this year. She has outstanding attendance! Dawn has always been willing to help, whether its in the office answering phones, bus routing for the summer or driving sports runs. She is great with all of her children and takes the time to get to know each and everyone. Dawn is constantly getting positive emails from parents, coaches and coaches from other districts.

Jose De La Garza
Fleet Supervisor
Katy ISD, Texas
Jose De Le Garza is an outstanding example of an up-and-coming leader in the school transportation industry. Although relatively new to the student transportation world, Jose has quickly made a significant impact since joining Katy ISD just over a year ago. With a background in municipal fleet maintenance—trading fire engines for school buses—Jose brought fresh eyes, sharp instincts and a strong commitment to safety and service.
In that short time, he has risen from mechanic to shop foreman and now serves as fleet supervisor, a reflection of his leadership ability, technical expertise and dedication to excellence. Jose identified and corrected numerous safety concerns upon arrival, dramatically improved shop morale and created an environment where mechanics are empowered, respected and motivated to do their best work.
What sets Jose apart is his people-first leadership style. He leads by example, never hesitating to get his hands dirty, and he actively mentors his team to help them grow professionally. He’s deeply committed to education and is preparing to begin teaching with a local technician training organization—further extending his impact beyond his district.
Jose may have flown under the radar until now, but his work and leadership speak volumes. He is exactly the kind of emerging leader this industry needs—and deserves to be recognized for the difference he’s already making.

Kim Ellis
Director of Transportation
Marietta City Schools, Georgia
Kim has led the transportation department for Marietta City Schools for 14 years. During that time, she has also served and directed several school transportation related organizations on the state and national level. Mrs. Ellis has created a cohesive and organized department which thrives off a culture that is second to none. Her department is frequently meeting through team-bonding activities, and she is focused on the recognition of those in her department. Kim has employed various apps and user-friendly platforms for our community, and her commitment to working with our school-based administration on safety and security serves as a model for other districts.

Savannah Fernandez
Director of Risk, Safety & Training
Star Shuttle, LLC, Texas
Savannah exemplifies the qualities of a rising superstar in the transportation field through a blend of technical excellence, visionary leadership and a steadfast commitment to innovation and equity. Her contributions have already begun to shape the future of transportation, making her a standout candidate for this recognition.
Savannah led the successful planning and implementation of Star Shuttle’s new unique out of the box training program for its school bus drivers to receive their annual refresher training prior to the start of this school year. Star provided lunch while Savannah and the training team conducted team building through School Bus Jeopardy. With quirky driving trivia (courtesy of trivia learned at the 2025 STN EXPO West) and quick-fire questions, it had everyone laughing, learning and showing off their knowledge. This new training platform helped Star’s drivers build confidence, reconnect with fellow drivers and genuinely enjoy the training experience. By the end of the session, every driver left with a refreshed understanding of safety and driving protocols, a few great prizes, and most importantly – a big smile and some unforgettable memories.
She was also part of Star’s safety innovation and sustainability team spearheaded by Star’s CEO, John Walker. The Safety innovation team helped integrate emerging technologies to connect AI-driven safety monitoring of its drivers to increase driver and passenger safety. Through Savannah’s leadership, Star Shuttle has earned multiple safety awards from the National Safety Council over the years including the most recent 2025 Innovative Practices in Traffic Safety award. Star’s sustainability team aimed at reducing transportation-related emissions by implementing a company idling goal and bonus incentive for low idle times which was led by Savannah and has been successful.
Savannah’s positive leadership is collaborative, visionary and inclusive. She fosters an engaging safety culture and is respected for her mentorship and people focused approach. She is not only excelling in her current role but is also setting a new standard for what the next generation of transportation leaders can achieve. Her innovative work, dedication to equity and sustainability, and ability to inspire others makes her an ideal candidate for the Rising Transportation Superstar award.

Stephanie Fussell
Director of Operations
Buckled In, Virginia
Stephanie leads a team of transportation professionals who get some of the most challenging students to school safely everyday across the country. A former educator, she moved into the transportation world to help improve a situation she identified as needing improvement. By applying her education and business skills to the transportation challenge, she has helped to redefine Buckled In’s process and has helped to support thousands of families each day.
This year she took the company and its ability to support schools and families to the next level leading a technology upgrade that has positioned her team in a rest place for meeting needs. The new operational platform she helped to design and build is now providing realtime ride information to families and schools and has created routing and communication efficiencies that are lower in transportation costs. Her tireless energy and commitment to her team is paying dividends for all involved and is paving the way for new alternative transportation solutions.

Jennifer Gardella
Director of Transportation
Rockwall ISD, Texas
Accomplishments:
In 2024-2025, We trained 24 drivers that earned their CDL, completed 1,820 trips, completed 30,951 shuttles, completed 17,442 routes, Campuses have helped support drivers with over 616 Bus Conduct concerns, and We completed 5,643 midday/speech routes. Featured in School BusRide in March 2025 as a Member Spotlight. NTAPT Historian for 2023-2024 and Web Master for 2024-2025
Leadership traits: Developing team members so that when they’re ready to take on leadership roles, they have the skills and confidence to succeed. Being a strong mentor for her to so they grown individually but also as a team.Invests in training, mentoring, and recognizing bus drivers and transportation staff, building a cohesive and motivated team.
Streamlines transportation systems to ensure punctual, reliable, and cost-effective service. Uses data and feedback to make informed decisions that improve service delivery.

Amanda Gibson
Bus Driver
Upper Lake Unified School District, California
Amanda is a gem! She is always at work with a smile on her face and she never misses a day of work. She loves her job and the students she transports. She has the cleanest and [most] well-behaved bus. It is a direct reflection of the love and support she shows her students and bus. Amanda is always helpful when supplying vehicles for sports and she takes pride in making sure the vans are clean for our students and staff. She is also very funny. We tell her all the time that she should do stand up comedy! I respect and appreciate Amanda every day and am super blessed to have her on my team. She deserves all the praise that can be offered to her! I know winning this award would make her year! She is a true leader and an amazing human. Thank you for taking the time to read this. There are so many wonderful things about Amanda that I could go on and on!

Ramona Gonzalez
Operations Supervisor
Klein ISD, Texas
Ramona Gonzalez has quickly distinguished herself as one of Klein ISD transportation’s brightest rising stars. In addition to excelling in her daily responsibilities, she has taken on the critical role of third-party tester, ensuring that new drivers are held to the highest standards of safety and compliance. Her professionalism, knowledge, and attention to detail have made her an invaluable asset to our team and a trusted resource for colleagues.
Key Contributions & Strengths: Certified Third-Party Tester: Administers driving evaluations with fairness and consistency, ensuring all drivers meet state and district safety requirements. Safety advocate: Reinforces best practices through thorough evaluations, setting high expectations that strengthen our entire transportation program. Operational reliability: Dependable in every assignment, demonstrating precision in route execution and a proactive approach to challenges. Mentorship & support: Encourages and guides new drivers through the testing process, easing nerves while still upholding rigorous standards. Professional growth: Continues to expand her expertise, showing a commitment to both personal development and the advancement of her department.
Her impact includes: Raised the level of driver readiness by conducting comprehensive evaluations that prioritize student safety. Enhanced the confidence of new drivers through supportive, professional testing experiences. Reinforced Klein ISD’s reputation for excellence in transportation by ensuring all certified drivers are highly prepared.third-party tester reflects not only her technical expertise but also her integrity, fairness, and dedication to our mission. Colleagues describe her as approachable, thorough, and an inspiration to those entering the profession.
I am honored to nominate Ramona Gonzalez as a Rising Transportation Superstar. Her dual contributions as a transportation professional and certified third-party tester highlight her as both a role model and a future leader in school transportation.

Brittney Hardin
Operations Manager
New Albany Floyd County Schools, Indiana
Prior to my arrival as director of transportation, Ms Hardin as administrative assistant at to the department took the helm and lead the department with the successful ending of the 2024-2025 school year. As I arrived and restructured the department she applied for and [was] promoted to the department’s operation manager. She continues to strive for excellence and think of ways that can better the department by bringing out of the box thinking on how we can bring people into the department faster, revamping our programs and streamline our overall goals of becoming more effective and efficient department. She is also eager to learn and use that knowledge to become a positive member of the transportation team.

Lynnette Harper
Field Supervisor
Norfolk City Public Schools, Virginia
After being a driver for many years Ms. Harper became a supervisor. She is always available to her colleagues and her drivers and assistants who she oversees. She ensures that all of her buses are running smoothly and safely. She never leaves a conversation without letting me know I am doing a great job and making me feel valued.

Brian Herrell
Director of Transportation
South Western School District, Pennsylvania
Brian has faithfully served in his role as transportation director for the past five years, and during that time, he has exemplified leadership, innovation and unwavering commitment to student success and staff well-being.
Brian’s leadership was put to the test from the moment he joined the district—at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He quickly adapted to extraordinary circumstances, adjusting transportation routes, implementing a system to sanitize buses between runs and collaborating closely with building principals to maintain instructional schedules despite ever-changing transportation challenges. His ability to lead during crisis demonstrated not only his logistical acumen but also his calm under pressure and his focus on student safety and learning continuity.
In the years since, Brian has navigated the persistent challenge of a shrinking workforce and an ongoing driver shortage. Despite these obstacles, he has continued to deliver exceptional service, often stepping into the driver’s seat himself to ensure that no route goes unfilled. His visibility and dedication have earned the respect of his team and the trust of the broader school community.
Brian is a fierce advocate for his transportation staff. He has consistently championed improved working conditions and sought additional benefits for drivers and mechanics. Under his leadership, the district maintains a modern fleet with excellent inspection records, with few buses ever sidelined for maintenance or safety issues.
Beyond day-to-day operations, Brian embodies what it means to be a collaborative leader. He regularly attends board meetings to provide insight and advocate for district-wide needs. He meets with township officials to coordinate around road projects, and his expertise in routing software has made him a valued resource not only in our district but across the county—other schools have sought his guidance as they implement similar systems.
Brian truly redefines what a transportation director can and should be. His passion for his job is unmistakable—he frequently shares how much he loves his work, and it shows in every aspect of his performance. His deep knowledge, dedication to students and staff, and commitment to excellence make him an outstanding candidate for this honor.
It is with great pride and confidence that I submit this nomination for Brian. He is an invaluable asset to our district and to the educational community at large. I would be more than happy to provide additional information in support of his nomination.

Tina Hockaday
Supervisor of Transportation
Harford County Public Schools, Maryland
It is with great pride and admiration that I nominate Tina Hockaday for the Rising Transportation SuperStar Award. Her journey within our school system, Harford County Public Schools (HCPS), is a true testament to dedication, perseverance, and a passion for student transportation excellence.
Starting her career as a school bus driver, Tina quickly distinguished herself through her reliability, professionalism and deep care for the students she transported each day. Her commitment to safety and service led her to take on greater responsibilities, and she was promoted to the role of transportation coordinator. In this position, she demonstrated exceptional organizational skills, a talent for problem-solving and trained hundreds of people to become certified HCPS school bus drivers and attendants.
Now serving as our supervisor of transportation, Tina continues to lead with integrity, innovation and with a safety mindset for our students, drivers, attendants, schools, and the community. What makes her journey even more inspiring is her decision to return to school to further her education—an effort that reflects her unwavering commitment to personal and professional growth. Her academic achievements have directly contributed to her effectiveness as a leader and her ability to implement forward-thinking strategies that benefit our HCPS school community.
Tina is not only a rising star in transportation—she is a role model for others in the field. Her story is one of hard work, continuous learning, and a deep-rooted dedication to making a difference. I can think of no one more deserving of this recognition.

Eric Huegerich
Senior General Manager
Zūm – San Bernardino and Palm Springs, California
As senior general manager of Zūm’s operations in San Bernardino and Palm Springs, California, Eric Huegerich is a collaborative leader and skillful communicator who takes pride in creating a supportive work environment and giving back to the community.
This year Huegerich was promoted to a senior leadership position, overseeing Zūm’s operations in San Bernardino City Unified and Palm Springs Unified school districts. Notably, he has focused on solving the school bus driver shortages in both markets, which are now fully staffed. In Palm Springs, where Zūm recently launched its partnership with the district, Eric oversees 90 drivers and 40 attendants, all of whom were hired, onboarded, and trained before the start of the 2025-26 school year.
Huegerich listens to team members’ ideas and concerns and truly values the communities he serves. He has taken the lead on several local initiatives for Zūm, including a holiday toy drive and an event in partnership with CHiPs for Kids and Ronald McDonald House to donate bicycles to children in need.
Prior to joining Zūm in 2023, Huegerich worked in transportation and logistics at Amazon, Hertz and in the private jet industry. He says what attracted him to student transportation was doing “something that mattered.”
Other accomplishments include:
Managing Zūm’s expansion in San Bernardino, where Huegerich now oversees 220+ drivers, 100+ attendants and 60+ additional routes.
Training 100+ brand new drivers in-house in the last year.
Leading Zūm’s launch in Palm Springs Unified School District, where a longstanding driver shortage was solved before the 2025-26 school year. Local news station KESQ recently spoke with Huegerich about Zūm’s preparation.
Co-designing a “shadow program” that pairs new school bus drivers with a cover driver or trainer so they feel 100% comfortable with their routes by the time they start driving on their own.
Having no major safety incidents or concerns for the entire 2024-2025 school year.
When he’s not working, Huegerich enjoys spending time with his family and coaching little league baseball.

Dusty Hurley
Bus Driver
USD 252, Kansas
Dusty Hurley is a true unsung hero of USD 252. He’s an outstanding bus driver who does far more than just get students from point A to point B—he builds meaningful relationships with students, parents, teachers, coaches, and administrators alike. His calm presence, reliability, and care for kids make him a trusted figure in our school community.
Dusty drives regular morning and afternoon routes, and he’s also behind the wheel for most athletic events and field trips—always dependable, always ready. But his contribution doesn’t stop there. When he’s not driving, you’ll find him supporting students as a para-educator or pitching in with maintenance projects around the district.
No task is too small, and no job is beneath him. Dusty is willing to help in any way he can, always putting the needs of others before his own. His work ethic is unmatched, his attitude is humble, and his impact is lasting.
We’re grateful for all he does—quietly, consistently and with heart.

Malikah Jenkins
Head Bus Driver/Supervisor of Transportation Atlantic County
State of NJ- Department of Children and Families, New Jersey
Malikah started with us as a part-time bus driver in May 2022. She has always done her job and extra tasks without hesitation and with a smile on her face. She is a quiet person and normally keeps to herself. Her supervisor recently retired and the position was posted as a promotional opportunity. She was hesitate to apply because she felt unsure about her capabilities and unsure she would be successful as a supervisor. I had a conversation with her tried to get her to see her potential. I encouraged her to trust her instincts and told her that she was more than capable of the position responsibilities. I told her the worst thing in life someone can say to you is no. Do not ever let fear and uncertainty hold you back from an opportunity. She applied and was promoted to supervisor of transportation in Atlantic County.
She has read every policy and follows them like a guidebook. She communicates with her staff verbally and in writing like a seasoned professional. She meets with her staff regularly and helps redirect her staff when necessary. She encourages her staff and makes a point to praise when they are doing a great job. She has outstanding customer service communication skills with districts, parents/ guardians and staff. She has been a rising star and has a deep desire to learn and retains what she has learned. She comes to me and asks for advice and how to handle situations she hasn’t dealt with yet. Most importantly she takes that advice and implements it into her supervision. She has a desire to learn and has demonstrated outstanding leadership in a very short amount of time she has been a supervisor. Please accept my nomination for Malikah Jenkins.

Craig Kirkpatrick
Supervisor of Transportation
Chambersburg Area School District, Pennsylvania
Craig is one of the hardest working individuals that I have had the pleasure of working with at CASD. He goes to all lengths to ensure our almost 10,000 students are transported to and from school safely. He has been known to put his on tasks on hold, to fill in as a special needs bus aide. This is one example of being a hands on leaders. Our fleet of buses travels on average 10,000 per day.
During the past year, Craig led the way in soliciting new transportation software that will assist the District in accomplishing our vision of 2030 Schools of Distinction. The software will be a vital part in grade reconfiguration from K-5, 6-8, 9-12 to K-3, 4-6, 7-8, 9-12 and assist in reassigning students from three to four shuttered schools. Without Craig’s leadership to pursue a new transportation software, the task of reconfiguration and reassignment would have been burdensome.

David LaMotte
Transportation Director
Troup ISD, Texas
David LaMotte serves as the transportation director for Troup ISD and currently holds the position of president of the East Texas Chapter of the Texas Association for Pupil Transportation (TAPT). His unwavering dedication to student transportation and his commitment to supporting both his team and the broader educational community make him an exceptional candidate for this recognition.
David is widely regarded as a trusted expert in transportation logistics and mechanical operations. He consistently goes above and beyond to assist not only his own staff but also colleagues across neighboring school districts. His collaborative spirit and technical knowledge make him a go-to resource for problem-solving and innovation in school transportation.
As a passionate advocate for professional development, David actively promotes TAPT initiatives, regional chapter events, and other learning opportunities that benefit school districts. Under his leadership, the East Texas Chapter has flourished, hosting well-attended meetings, featuring impactful speakers, and maintaining a vibrant email network that fosters knowledge-sharing among members and vendors.
David’s influence extends beyond transportation. He has contributed to presentations with the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), offering valuable insights into the unique challenges and opportunities faced by small school districts. He regularly disseminates critical updates on legislation and policy changes, such as SB 546, the recently passed Texas law mandating seat belts on school buses, ensuring that districts remain informed and compliant.
In regions like East Texas, where many districts are small and often under-recognized, leaders like David play a pivotal role. His ability to elevate the voices of smaller communities, advocate for equitable resources, and build strong professional networks exemplifies the qualities of a Rising Superstar.

Toni Lawson
Lead driver
Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia
Toni has been a fantastic lead driver for lcps for many years. She is professional, knowledgeable and kind. She cares deeply for the students of LCPS and leads her drivers with kindness and respect.

Robin Lumos
Transportation Supervisor/Trainer
Nye County School District, Nevada
Robin started as a Bus Aide in 2013. She earner her CDL in 2018 and was a sub bus driver until 2021, when she became a State of Nevada certified bus driver trainer. She updated and streamlined the districts training program and assisted including the new ELDT training requirements. She single handedly modernized our [special education] training and equipment, including annual testing/certification for use. She helped make recommendations for updating the State of Nevada School Bus Driver Training Manual related to the new training requirements and documentation. In November 2022, she received her Nevada CMV Third-Party Examiner Certification. In July 2024, Robin was hired as our transportation supervisor/trainer. She leads the training section of the department as well as splitting duty of overall daily operations with the other supervisor. Her quiet and calm demeanor and empathy toward our employees has provided a a smoother operational tempo and helped increase employee engagement.

Robin McCarter
Teacher/Bus Driver
Eustace ISD, TX
Robin has been working for our district for many years. She chose to start driving for the transportation department over 12 years ago. Robin goes above and beyond to make sure every student get to and from school safely and makes sure each student that rides her bus knows they are valued and loved. She is one of the top notch drivers for our district always following through with every task assigned with a smile on her face.

Brittnea Melton
Bus Driver
Maconaquah School Corporation, Indiana
Brittnea came to us wanting to learn how to drive a school bus so she could stay on the same schedule as her personal children attending school. Not only was she a quick learner on how to handle the bus she also quickly learned how to maintain discipline on the buses while showing grace and kindness in stressful situations. She has become a leader with the older drivers helping them with technology that has been implemented on the buses through tablets. Anything I’ve asked of her she has gone above and beyond. If you’ve ever been a bus driver then you know somethings can’t be taught and some people just are a natural. She has the qualities that are hard to come by these days. She is seizure and CPR trained! Maconaquah School Corporation values her greatly.

Raymond Montoya
Transportation/Safety Supervisor
Sheridan School District 2, Colorado
I am proud to nominate Raymond Montoya, supervisor of transportation and safety for Sheridan School District 2, for STN’s 2025 Rising Transportation SuperStar recognition. Raymond exemplifies what it means to lead with integrity, vision, and an unwavering commitment to student safety and success.
Since taking on his leadership role, Raymond has implemented critical improvements in routing efficiency, driver training, and safety protocols—significantly reducing route delays and increasing on-time performance across the district. He played a key role in launching a student-focused transportation communication system that has enhanced transparency and built greater trust with families. His collaborative approach has fostered stronger partnerships between transportation, school leadership, and the broader community.
Raymond’s leadership is defined by his calm professionalism, solution-oriented mindset, and sincere dedication to serving students and staff. His presence is felt not only in the day-to-day logistics but also in the care he shows to every driver, every student, and every family who depends on safe and reliable school transportation.
Our entire district is better because of Raymond’s leadership, and we believe he is truly deserving of this recognition.

Tammy Muehsam
School Bus Driver
Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District, California
Very positive even on the hard hectic days. Fun/ friendly positive to everyone she comes in contact with. Not a bad word to say about anyone. She gets different routes and situation thrown at her, she always has a smile and gets through the day. A positive smile, kind heart that you can always count on when.and if your day isn’t going so well. She’s there to talk you through.

Diane Nale
Routing and Logistics Manager
New Albany Floyd County Schools, Indiana
This past summer she was the only router for the department. She routed the entire district as fast as possible and ensuring our students with IEPs and general education students were on buses for the first day of school. With the departure of the special needs router she gladly accepted the responsibility to become the special needs router that lead to the general education router to become vacant. With her 17 years of experience of routing assisted her to ensure 11,000 students were routed. Due to her dedication and experience she was offered a promotion to a newly created position of routing and logistics manager oversees our dispatch team and routing team. She has gained and passed on her knowledge and is one of the ones in the department that people go to for routing issues and coverage. She has attended state conferences and will be attending her first national conference at TSD in Texas to gain more knowledge in transporting special needs students. Her attitude of providing excellence is shown and appreciated.

Andrew Neighbors
Director of Transportation
Canyon ISD, Texas
Within his first year he was able to accomplish so many goals. One of which he hired more employees than in years past. He even implemented a new fleet leasing program through Enterprise Fleet that has upgraded our fleet and others within the district. Following that he added an amazing opportunity for a $500 stipend for returning drivers for the following school year. Andrew also redesigned our parking lot to help its efficiency in traffic flow for our building. During the Holiday season he made sure to partner with as many vendors as he could to help gift drivers with shirts, hats, treats and gift cards. His leadership trait that he excels in the most is connections. He makes sure that everyone is taken care of and that no problem is going unseen. Even during conflict he can be able to turn it around for something good and productive. He brings a fun environment in which anyone who works here feels comfortable and happy working here.

Raymond Pratt
Driver/Trainer
Loudoun County Public Schools, Lovettsville, Virginia
Katrina is bubbly at sunrise! She is kind, hardworking, willing to jump in and help whenever and wherever possible. She gives her all to her trainees, the training department and her students. Traveling safely year after year providing courteous pick ups and drop offs. She has been displaying her kind and gentle ways in our county for 19 years! Working with various children with “needs”. Serving the parents and schools with safety as her number one priority. Thank you Katrina!

Tanner Presutti
Transportation Supervisor
Sheboygan Area School District, Wisconsin
Tanner may be newer to the transportation industry, but he has already made a significant and lasting impact. From the beginning, he hit the ground running, enhancing existing processes and pushing forward new initiatives that improve safety, efficiency, and student success.
One of Tanner’s standout accomplishments has been his ability to build strong, collaborative relationships with the school district’s contracted bus company and its drivers. Through open communication, mutual respect, and a hands-on leadership style, he earned their trust and buy-in for the implementation of new technology, including driver tablets. Rather than simply rolling out the tools, Tanner made it a priority to support the drivers directly—often riding the buses himself in real time to provide guidance, troubleshoot issues, and show a shared commitment to success.
He is also in the process of implementing a live video camera system, allowing the transportation department and school administration to address student-related concerns as they happen, greatly enhancing safety and accountability.
Tanner’s proactive approach, leadership through action, and unwavering focus on student well-being make him a true rising superstar in school transportation.

Madison Quatkemeyer
Routing Specialist
Fountain Fort Carson District 8, Colorado
With immense pride, I endorse Madison Quatkemeyer, a standout contender, for the Rising Transportation Superstar. When I think of someone deeply dedicated to the families of Fountain-Fort Carson and the students, faculty, and staff. Madison worked tirelessly behind the scenes, ensuring everything she did was perfect, never expecting to be praised or rewarded for her good work. Her efforts this school year embody all these qualities.
For those who may not know, a routing specialist reviews over 4,000 student registrations for fall and summer classes, as well as government forms, and uses complex formulas to assess a student’s eligibility for ridership in federally funded programs, such as McKinney-Vento and center-based programs, across the district. She must stay up-to-date with changing federal and state laws. She responds to thousands of phone calls and emails from families, administrators, and employees, while being sensitive to the heightened emotions associated with the job.
Even with a short staff, Madison took on additional driving duties at the beginning of the year to ensure students arrived at school and were transported on special field trips. She has never missed a deadline, completing them ahead of time. Emails and phone calls were returned promptly, and students’ and their families’ concerns were heard and addressed. We really appreciate the human perspective that Madison has brought to the department, and wanted to tell someone beyond her how much we value her assistance. Furthermore, Ms. Quatkemeyer also possesses a keen eye for detail and a prowess for transportation routing. She continually assists with improving routing and dispatching details by sharing her concerns about traffic patterns, parking details, and dangerous student stops. This meta-view of transportation directly translates into safer and more efficient transportation for Fountain-Fort Carson School District students. Ms. Quatkemeyer has demonstrated that she is a skilled presenter, able to communicate complex routing scenarios in a clear and understandable manner.
Finally, this year, we had a new software rollout and the subsequent delays tested Madison’s patience, making some of the most challenging months in her career. Almost daily, Madison has had to confront and adjust to new errors with the new program to ensure that the staff receive the most up-to-date training. I am not exaggerating when I say we would be lost without Madison. While much of her work takes place behind the scenes, she is one of the essential components to the functioning of the transportation department. I firmly believe that Madison Quatkemeyer would be a tremendous addition to any organization. She possesses the knowledge, leadership qualities, and interpersonal skills needed to succeed. She would be an asset to any other employer, and I’m pleased to have her as an employee of District 8 Transportation.

Angelina Rico
Transportation Supervisor
Huntington Beach City School District, California
Last year Angelina Rico was elevated from a school bus driver position to supervisor of transportation. She has undertaken a lot of training, testing and restructuring with minimal guidance from her predecessor or from the district. Angelina has been a true self-starter and risen above many complications and traversed through the disorganization and chaos of what was left to her and turned the transportation department into an organized, well oiled machine. Angelina, as a supervisor, has proven to be extremely fair, approachable and highly respected by her entire staff. She has gone above and beyond to improve the previously devastated morale of the staff in the transportation department and has returned us into a supportive “team” while also rebuilding communication and the overall relationship between the transportation department and the HBCSD district staff. Angelina has also made vast improvements in communications between the transportation staff and the parents of the children we transport. It has taken many hours and a lot of hard work for her to turn this department around. She puts 150 percent of herself into the transportation department with no complaints. Because of Angelina’s efforts as a transportation supervisor, HBCSD transportation has become a much more pleasant and efficient work environment for all.

Charli Sanders
Director, Parts & Warranty
Durham School Services – Durham / Petermann / Stock, DOmociled in MI – responsible for supporting all U.S. & Canada locations
In mid-2024, we created a new parts and warranty department to focus on driving down parts expenses, lowering inventory variance and improving warranty capture. U.S. Army veteran Charli Sanders who had previously served as a regional maintenance manager had gained parts experience in her previous career at Hertz, was promoted into the role as director of parts and warranty. Since stepping into this role, she has developed a team of parts and warranty experts whose primary mission is to support our expert team of maintenance professionals through onboarding high-value lower-cost parts suppliers, creating SOPs for the field to follow, communicating and tracking open recalls, and resolving all parts and warranty related issues.
Most recently, Charli has finalized many new and updated parts agreements and is also leading an upcoming RFP on fuel, air, exhaust and rotating electrical components, which will add to our parts expense reduction while increasing reliability.
In 2024, we migrated to a new fleet management system and Charli was and continues to be an integral part of the system rollout and training. Most recently, she worked with our solutions provider to lock down and clean-up our parts master database allowing us to drive all parts purchases through our agreed upon vendor channels while also reducing duplicate and obsolete parts by more than 75 percent. Prior to this, the parts database was replete with expired agreements and parts that we would no longer support based on our new contracts and agreements. Charli’s team now manages all request for new parts not currently listed in the database and is able to successfully manage the addition of any needed items.
Charli also recently completed our new Parts SOP, which details the inventory expectations for all Maintenance leaders to accurately count their onsite inventory and has instituted annual inventory audits by her small team of parts & warranty specialists which will validate the quarterly inventories submitted from the field. The goal of this new process is to reduce past practices that lacked the proper inventory controls leading to negative P&L impacts, lost warranty opportunities, and led to inaccurate maintenance data.
Charli has taken the lead to train the maintenance team on parts, warranty and PO processes in Maximo and voluntarily hosts a weekly call with the maintenance team to provide guidance and review open issues that are submitted to her team. She has also trained each of her employees on tracking warranty WOs and proper responses to parts add requests.
Charli also oversees our four Parts Reclamation Centers (PRCs) across the U.S., where we not only repurpose body panels, major components, and hard-to-source parts but are also where we consolidate obsolete parts for use throughout the network. Charli has recently introduced new KPIs and SOPs to increase efficiency and to track part reliability. Charli recently presented at our annual MX Leadership Summit and trained all maintenance leaders on the new SOP, POs and proper inventory processes, and held a hands-on exercise for inventory accuracy.

Katherine Songer
Director of Transportation
Oakdale Joint Unified School District, California
Katherine started driving for Oakdale at 18 years old she has set many goals for herself and the first one was to be a driver trainer, someday when given the opportunity. She met that goal in 2022, she was very excited to finally have achieved this goal it was a dream of hers after many years of driving the school bus and watching others do this job and now she was headed to the academy to finally become a state certified instructor, she took that role very seriously. She came back from there on fire to teach everything she learned there. She made it look very easy and she is a natural at it. I have watched her grow so much since she started here in Oakdale. She went from being a school bus driver at 18 (she looked like a student herself) to becoming the director of transportation. She had set that goal for herself as well. In a very short time after becoming an instructor (seven months) she achieved that goal and she goes above and beyond as our director of transportation. She spends many many hours making sure everything is going well here at our transportation yard. She has grown in many ways from the time she started here driving a school bus. When we have ran out of trip drivers she has also hopped in the bus and drove the students on her day off on the weekend for no pay to ensure the students were able to go on the field trip. I believe she is a rising star in all she has achieved in her 20 years as a driver. Certified state instructor and now the director of transportation. I believe she will meet and exceed all her goals set for herself in her career with transportation.

Amanda Spaulding
School Bus Driver
Garland Independent School District, Texas
Ms. Spaulding is starting her 7th consecutive school year with the district. She is proactive and covers for any and all vacant bus routes. Se also works in the transportation office without compensation, but works with a lot of love, pride, professionalism, hugs, and smiles to students and staff. She is loved by all and goes out of her way to help the transportation office, giving her students treats, and helping other bus drivers in need. Amanda recently received a Safe School Bus Driver award, among others.

Raymond Stanley
Executive Director, Transportation and Fleet Services
DeKalb County School District, Georgia
It is with great enthusiasm that I nominate Executive Director Raymond Stanley for recognition as a rising transportation Leader. Mr. Stanley has consistently demonstrated outstanding leadership, innovation and commitment to excellence in school district transportation services. His contributions extend beyond operational oversight to include strategic planning, staff development, and community impact.
Mr. Stanley leads one of the largest school district fleets in Georgia, with more than 1,200 buses and support vehicles under his direction. He has spearheaded critical modernization initiatives, including GPS connectivity for support vehicles, preventive maintenance schedules, and enhanced data validation processes. These advancements have strengthened safety, accountability, and efficiency across the district.
He successfully navigated challenges in staffing shortages and vendor transitions, ensuring uninterrupted student transportation services. Additionally, he has directed multimillion-dollar infrastructure and vendor contracts, positioning the district for long-term operational stability. His focus on employee growth—through OSHA, Lean Six Sigma, and RTA training programs—has uplifted the workforce while recognition events like the annual Fleet Appreciation Luncheon and Employee of the Year program have enhanced morale.
Mr. Stanley exemplifies visionary leadership, consistently aligning departmental goals with the district’s mission. His accountability and integrity are evident through his implementation of internal audits, dual approval systems and transparent reporting practices. He is collaborative and supportive, engaging with staff at all levels to resolve challenges, encourage professional growth and foster teamwork. His resilience and adaptability allow him to address complex issues with a solutions-focused mindset, always keeping student safety and well-being at the forefront. Mr. Stanley’s efforts have been acknowledged by district leadership and peers alike for driving positive transformation within fleet services. His innovative practices have positioned him as a strong candidate for broader regional and state-level transportation recognition, underscoring his ability to deliver both operational excellence and visionary leadership.
In summary, Executive Director Raymond Stanley is a proven leader who has made significant contributions to school transportation. His dedication to innovation, employee development, and student-centered service makes him highly deserving of recognition as a Rising Transportation Leader.

Peggy Stone
Director of Transportation
Lincoln County Schools, West Virginia
Peggy took over a county transportation department that had been taken over by the state department. She has turned the county transportation department around and no longer under state control. She has implemented better driver training, parts inventory and management systems, reduced the number of buses breaking down and being towed, worked with the county emergency services to do a mock bus accident, and has changed the moral of the transportation staff. Her positive leadership has brought a tremendous change to the transportation department an made a positive impact on the staff. Peggy also is the current treasure of the West Virginia Association for Pupil Transporation and works hard at helping to plan the annual state transportation conference each year.

Christopher Storer
Director of Transportation
Yarmouth Schools, Maine
Christophers knowledge and enthusiasm for school transportation is not only refreshing but much needed as a generation of older directors are leaving and a new generation is taking over. His helpfulness in answering questions or finding out the answers is refreshing in a field that has been tired for a long time. He is not afraid of the hard work that goes into making changes.

Allison Swauger
Director of Transportation/Asst. Business Manager
Deer Lakes, Pennsylvania
Allison is a rising star in the transportation field, demonstrating exceptional potential and a unique blend of skills that position her as an up-and-comer in the industry. Her ability to learn quickly, manage relationships effectively, and consistently seek innovative solutions makes her a standout professional.
Allison’s rapid learning ability is one of her most impressive qualities. She absorbs new information, processes and technologies with remarkable speed, allowing her to adapt to the dynamic demands of the transportation sector. Whether mastering new systems, understanding regulatory changes, or tackling operational challenges, Allison’s intellectual agility ensures she stays ahead of the curve.
Equally notable is her exceptional interpersonal skills. Allison handles interactions with parents and staff with professionalism, empathy, and clarity, fostering trust and collaboration. Her ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders—whether addressing parental concerns or coordinating with team members—creates a positive and productive environment, which is critical in transportation management where clear communication can make or break operational success.
What truly sets Allison apart is her proactive approach to efficiency. She consistently seeks out opportunities to streamline processes, reduce costs, and enhance service quality. Her forward-thinking mindset drives her to identify bottlenecks, propose creative solutions, and implement improvements that benefit both the organization and its clients. This dedication to operational excellence not only improves day-to-day operations but also positions her as a visionary who can shape the future of transportation.
In summary, Allison’s quick learning, strong interpersonal skills and relentless pursuit of efficiency make her an invaluable asset and a true up-and-comer in the transportation industry. I wholeheartedly recommend her for the award.

Quavion Swazer
Director of Transportation
Puyallup School District, Washington
I am pleased to nominate Quavion Swazer, affectionately known as “Q” by his colleagues, for the School Transportation News Rising Superstar spotlight. As a transportation professional with over three decades of experience in this industry, I have had the privilege of witnessing many talented individuals, but Q’s trajectory in just six short years has been nothing short of remarkable.
Q’s dedication to student transportation began six years ago as a school bus driver in a neighboring district, where he spent two years mastering the fundamentals of safe student transport. His commitment to excellence and natural leadership abilities quickly became evident, leading to his recruitment by Puyallup School District—one of Washington State’s largest transportation operations.
Since joining Puyallup, Q has demonstrated exceptional leadership capabilities that have earned him the respect and admiration of his entire staff. His team genuinely appreciates his approachable management style and forward-thinking vision for the department.
What truly sets Q apart is his commitment to sustainable transportation solutions. This year, he is spearheading the introduction of 15 propane-powered buses to the Puyallup fleet, demonstrating his dedication to environmental stewardship while maintaining operational efficiency. This initiative showcases his ability to balance innovation with practical implementation—a skill that typically takes years to develop.
Q’s influence extends beyond his district boundaries. This summer, he accepted a position on the Washington Association for Pupil Transportation (WAPT) board, where he will serve for the next three years. His appointment to this prestigious role speaks volumes about the respect he has earned from his peers across the state.
At such an early stage in his career, Q has already: Risen from bus driver to transportation director in a major district, implemented innovative alternative fuel programs, earned the trust and respect of his staff, gained recognition for his leadership at the state level and Demonstrated exceptional potential for future industry impact
Quavion Swazer represents the future of student transportation leadership.His combination of operational expertise, innovative thinking, and natural leadership abilities positions him as a rising star who will undoubtedly make significant contributions to our industry for years to come. I enthusiastically recommend Q for the School Transportation News Rising Superstar spotlight and look forward to witnessing the continued positive impact he will have on student transportation in Washington State and beyond.
The transportation industry needs more leaders like Quavion Swazer—individuals who bring fresh perspectives while respecting the foundational principles that keep our students safe every day.

Krystal Tenace
General Manager
Durham School Services, New York
Kyrstal is a 15 year employee with the company. She started as a driver and has worked her way up to general manager, holding positions of driver, dispatcher, monitor, Safety Manager, and site supervisor. She has 19A certified trainer credentials and has been overseeing a location that in less than a year, the customer went from possible cancellation of service to now being the customer preferred vendor of services has increased driver head count by 40 percent over past three months through intense recruiting and changing the morale to be an employer of choice in the area. Expect great things for her in the future!

Jennifer Wallace
TIMS Coordinator/Bus Driver
Caswell County Schools, North Carolina
Jennifer has been driving a bus for about three years now. She has always made herself available to drive doubles and cares about the students that she transports. She was hired on as a custodian at the elementary school and continued driving the bus patiently and rarely misses a shift. Last year I hired her as the TIMS Coordinator, picked up the ball and has learned this job. All the while she continues to drive the bus, now for the middle and high school. Jennifer is always ready to help out and one several occasions she has driven a double and still manages to get all the routing completed for our district.

Diane Wilson
School Bus Safety Specialist
Region 6 Education Service Center, Texas
Diane Wilson has demonstrated outstanding leadership, initiative and commitment to advancing school transportation safety across Texas and beyond. Since joining Region 6 ESC as a specialist in 2024, she has built Operation STEER—a nationally recognized safety education program—from the ground up. This program, developed in collaboration with local businesses, fire departments, and vendors, has earned national attention and led to her being invited to present at the STN Conference.
In addition to developing Operation STEER, Diane leads a monthly statewide Zoom safety training that has grown from 20 participants to over 400, becoming a key resource for school districts’ regular safety meetings. Her reach and impact are undeniable.
Diane also serves as a mentor to numerous transportation directors and staff across Texas, advising on laws, policies, best practices, and training implementation. She is a certified ELDT trainer, a Texas DPS School Bus Certification Instructor, and travels extensively with Region 6’s 40-foot school bus simulator to provide hands-on training throughout the state.
Her professionalism, dedication and approachable demeanor earned her the “STAR of the Month” recognition at Region 6 ESC. She is regularly invited to speak at regional Association of Pupil Transportation meetings and takes the lead in planning the annual Region 6 ESC School Bus Safety Conference, which draws nearly 300 attendees, as well as the annual Directors Conference. Diane’s commitment to safety, innovation, and service make her exceptionally deserving of this recognition.

Edith Yambo
VP of Operations
New York City/Leesel Transportation & Beacon Mobility, New York
Edith Yambo, vice president of operations at Beacon Mobility, is a dynamic leader whose visionary approach and proven results set her apart in student transportation. Since joining Beacon in 2021, Edith quickly established herself first in HR, playing a vital role in building Beacon’s values-first culture and leading our talent team to new heights. Her ability to foster inclusivity, strengthen employee engagement, and empower her teams laid the foundation for Beacon’s reputation as a supportive workplace.
In 2023, Edith transitioned to operations, taking charge of our largest contract, New York City. She immediately elevated operational performance—on-time service and safety metrics reached new highs under her employee first, data-driven leadership. Her focus on employee development led to higher retention and morale, while her rollout of innovative training and safety procedures became benchmarks for our entire organization. Throughout, Edith remained true to Beacon’s purpose and core values, leading with integrity, transparency, and collaboration. She truly believes that Every ride matters.
Key Accomplishments include: Delivered significant improvements to NYC contract performance through efficient process redesign, Championed Beacon’s values-first culture, directly impacting employee satisfaction and customer service, Developed and mentored future leaders, cultivating a strong talent pipeline, and Implemented award-winning safety and training initiatives recognized internally for excellence.
Edith is not only a strategic thinker but also a true people champion, inspiring teams to excel and driving positive change across Beacon Mobility.

The post STN Announces 10th Year of Rising Superstar Profiles appeared first on School Transportation News.

As vehicles grow ever more connected, a new kind of security concern is taking shape. In Norway, public buses built by a Chinese manufacturer have become a focal point of that debate. Even thousands of miles from their country of origin, the company behind them reportedly has the capability to shut them down remotely.

More: Chinese-Made Car Slammed After Shocking Crash Test Failure, Gets Four Stars Anyway

The discovery comes out of Ruter, the nation’s largest public transport operator. It uncovered the potential security risk during a secret test inside of its own sealed facility.

Cyber Check or Cause for Alarm?

During that investigation, it tested a Dutch-built bus along with a Chinese one. Those from Yutong, a Chinese manufacturer, had Romanian SIM cards hidden inside the system.

According to Yutong, those SIM cards enable remote software updates and technical troubleshooting. While that may be true, the connection also gives Yutong the theoretical power to stop the buses or render them inoperable via a software update.

At this stage, Ruter has emphasized that it has found no evidence of malicious activity.

The tests were part of a broader cybersecurity audit designed to assess vulnerabilities in electric vehicles. Ruter CEO Bernt Reitan Jenssen emphasized that the agency is now “moving from concern to concrete knowledge,” implementing new safeguards and tightening procurement standards to ensure full local control.

Who Holds the Keys?

These measures include creating internal firewalls, isolating the buses from external cloud systems, and working with national authorities to strengthen cybersecurity protocols across the transport sector.

Norway’s Minister of Transport Jon-Ivar Nygård praised the initiative to NRK, stating the government is reviewing risk exposure from suppliers in nations outside Norway’s security alliances. “Together with players like Ruter, we will ensure that this sector is less exposed to risk,” he said.

The issue comes at a time when Norway is rapidly expanding its fleet of Chinese-built buses. Of the roughly 1,300 electric buses now in service nationwide, around 850 are made by Yutong. In Oslo and Akershus alone, about 300 operate daily.

While Ruter stresses that the likelihood of a shutdown is low, the test highlights a larger debate about foreign control over critical infrastructure. “It’s unlikely that these buses would ever be used in this way,” Jenssen said, “but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take it very seriously.”

For the moment, Ruter is ensuring that each bus can continue to function independently by removing the SIM cards, effectively keeping operations local and offline.

Photos Ruter

Meet the 2025 Transportation Director of the Year Keba Baldwin, director of transportation at Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland. Baldwin shares his leadership journey, communication strategies to enhance transparency and how he successfully manages transportation operations at the second-largest district in the state. Read the stories of the 2025 Rising Superstars as they share the stories of what led them to this award and what they love about this industry. Find articles about tablets onboard buses, the big three maintenance considerations of school bus garages, NCST delegates thoughts on LEDs, the responsibility of furthering school bus safety and more!

The STN EXPO conferences dates for 2026 have been announced, find more information about STN EXPO East in North Carolina and STN EXPO West in Nevada in the magazine.

Read the full November 2025 issue.

Cover Story

The Cornerstone of Effective Leadership
The 2025 Transportation Director of the Year, Keba Baldwin of Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland, knows how powerful communication and transparency are when responsible for safely transporting over 100,000 students daily.

Features

Finger on the Pulse
Tablets are closing the divide between dispatch, drivers and parents.

Back to Basics
School bus maintenance comes down to these big three equipment items. Vendor selection, driver behavior and maintenance cycles all play critical roles.

Rising Superstars
This year’s Rising Superstars demonstrate what it means to be a leader for their operations.

Special Reports

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A Venezuelan couple arrested Oct. 23 during a routine check-in at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s downtown Milwaukee office are attempting to continue their asylum cases while detained — one in ICE’s Dodge County detention facility and the other in a Kentucky facility. 

The arrests reflect an apparent shift in ICE’s interpretation of protections for asylum seekers, posing new risks for those waiting for immigration officials to hear their cases.   

Diego Ugarte-Arenas and Dailin Pacheco-Acosta fled Venezuela in 2021, crossing the border at Eagle Pass, Texas, by November of that year and encountering border patrol officers, according to an ICE spokesperson. Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have made the same journey in the last decade, of whom at least 5,000 have settled in Wisconsin. 

Milwaukee immigration attorney Ben Crouse, who took on the couple’s case after they were detained, told Wisconsin Watch that border patrol officers initially provided Ugarte-Arenas and Pacheco-Acosta with notices to appear in immigration court. Critically, those notices didn’t provide a date or time for their future hearing, preventing the immigration court system from opening removal cases against them. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at that time routinely issued notices to appear without specifying a hearing date, Crouse said, despite multiple U.S. Supreme Court rulings underscoring that notices must specify a time and date. 

“There was a lag time between the Supreme Court saying they had to have times and dates on the notice to appear and DHS actually communicating with (the Department of) Justice to put things on calendars,” Crouse noted.

The couple then made their way to Wisconsin and filed for asylum, a legal protection from deportation for immigrants fleeing persecution. Their joint application cited their involvement in the political opposition to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as grounds for asylum, Crouse said.

Immigrants can take two paths to claim asylum in the U.S. 

Ugarte-Arenas and Pacheco-Acosta filed for “affirmative” asylum, managed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and generally open only to those without removal cases before an immigration court. Without complete notices to appear, Crouse noted, the couple’s cases had not yet reached the court, opening the door to this pathway.

Immigrants with open removal cases apply for “defensive” asylum with an immigration court judge.

At least 100 immigrants with Wisconsin addresses have entered the defensive asylum process between January 2020 and August of this year, court records show. Most came from Nicaragua, Colombia and Venezuela. Between 2019 and 2024, immigration court judges in Chicago — the court with jurisdiction over most Wisconsin cases — denied roughly 40% of asylum petitions, according to data collected by the nonprofit Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

Under the Biden administration, immigration authorities began correcting incomplete notices to appear, enabling them to move asylum applications from the affirmative process to the defensive process. That swap rarely landed asylum seekers in detention, Crouse said.

Ugarte-Arenas’ and Pacheco-Acosta’s arrests are part of a broader shift in ICE’s attitude toward asylum. Multiple Milwaukee-area immigration attorneys say the agency is now detaining immigrants after terminating their affirmative asylum case. 

An ICE spokesperson did not respond to Wisconsin Watch’s questions about its new approach. 

“ICE does not ‘randomly’ arrest illegal aliens,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “Being in the United States illegal (sic) is a violation of federal law. All aliens who remain in the U.S. without a lawful immigration status may be subject to arrest and removal.”

The couple is now pursuing the defensive asylum process while separated by hundreds of miles. In September, DOJ’s Board of Immigration Appeals, which can set rules for federal immigration courts, ruled that immigrants in ICE custody who entered the country “without inspection” are ineligible for release on bond. The decision mirrors an argument that the Department of Homeland Security has made in immigration courts nationwide since July. 

Navigating the asylum process from ICE detention is logistically difficult, Crouse noted. Scheduling a brief phone call can take days, he said, and attorneys must rely on faraway sheriffs’ offices to ferry paperwork to and from their clients. 

“Tiny little things take days to fix,” he added.

ICE’s shifting approach to asylum is not limited to affirmative cases.

In recent months, the agency has also begun filing motions to dismiss the immigration court cases of defensive asylum seekers, said Milwaukee immigration attorney Marc Christopher. Once the immigrants’ cases are dismissed, ICE can place them in “expedited removal” proceedings — a fast-moving process that does not require a hearing. 

In some cases, Christopher said, “they dismiss a case in court and ICE is waiting right outside. Or they wait until they come to a check-in and arrest them there.”

ICE agents arrested roughly 75 immigrants at or near its Milwaukee office between January and July of this year, more than at any other Wisconsin site listed in agency arrest records during the period. Most of those arrested at the office, including Ugarte-Arenas and Pacheco-Acosta, had neither a past criminal conviction nor a pending criminal charge.

The Milwaukee office also includes a “holding room” in which an average of six people were detained at a time as of June, according to Vera Institute of Justice data. 

DHS recently extended its lease on the property, which is owned by the Milwaukee School of Engineering, until April 2026, with options to retain the space until 2028. ICE is preparing to open a new office on Milwaukee’s northwest side this fall.

Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup.

ICE arrests of asylum seekers in Milwaukee show shifting tactics is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.