Assigning dedicated adult support a student with disabilities on school buses can resolve immediate safety or behavioral concerns. But without a clearly defined purpose and regular reevaluation, that well-intentioned intervention can become a permanent arrangement that limits the student’s opportunities to grow, a leading child behavior expert says.

Board-certified behavior analyst and school district administrator Patrick Mulick will address that tension during an opening keynote at the Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs Conference and Trade Show. Mulick will present “Promoting Independence and Reducing the Reliance on 1:1 Adult Support” from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 6 to officially open TSD Conference, which is scheduled for Nov. 4-10 at the Embassy Suites Dallas-Frisco Hotel and Convention Center in Frisco, Texas.

During a recent interview for an upcoming episode of the School Transportation Nation podcast, Mulick explained that school districts frequently respond to challenging student behavior by assigning a one-on-one adult chaperone or aide. The response may provide immediate stability on the school bus, but he cautioned that it does not necessarily address the underlying reason for the behavior or build the skills the student needs to succeed more independently.

The longer a student relies on an adult to provide continuous directions, reminders and assistance, Mulick said, the greater the risk that the student begins to believe success is not possible without that person nearby. A constant adult presence can also affect relationships with peers and result in a student receiving far more correction and redirection than other riders.

Meanwhile, transportation departments must contend with the staffing, scheduling and financial implications of maintaining intensive support for an extended period. The keynote will explore how districts can protect safety while moving away from adult proximity as the default measure of student support. The session description promises transportation directors, supervisors and other district leaders a practical blueprint for creating sustainable systems that prioritize student agency.

Defining Adult Support

The behavior expert stressed that the objective is not to arbitrarily remove school bus aides or other necessary services. Some students require intensive adult assistance, and those supports must remain in place for as long as the individual needs exist.

Instead, he wants teams to become more precise about why a dedicated adult was assigned, what the adult is expected to accomplish and how the student’s continuing need will be reviewed. A support that was necessary in elementary school, or that has been in place on the bus for several years, should not automatically continue without asking whether the student’s abilities and circumstances have changed.
A central question, he said, is what skill the student has not yet developed that makes one-on-one support necessary. Once that skill is identified, transportation personnel can work with special education staff, behavior professionals and the student’s family to teach it rather than simply completing the task for the student.

That collaboration is especially important because transportation is too often informed of a staffing decision only after it has been made. Mulick said transportation professionals should be included earlier so they can explain the realities of the bus environment, help identify the support the student actually needs and understand the intended role of the assigned adult.

The conversation must then continue after the aide steps onto the bus. Without a specific plan, a one-on-one adult may naturally begin doing more for the student, making it increasingly difficult to determine what the student can do independently.

Mulick will demonstrate how teams can begin to “outsource” some of that adult support to the surrounding environment. Rather than verbally walking a student through each part of boarding, finding a seat and preparing for the ride, for example, staff might introduce a visual sequence and allow the student sufficient time and space to follow it.

Visual reminders can also prompt a student to use a familiar self-regulation strategy without an adult repeatedly telling the student what to do. As the student demonstrates greater competence, teams can gradually reduce the intensity of the prompt, the frequency of the reminder or the adult’s physical proximity.

Those changes may appear small, Mulick noted during the interview, but repeated opportunities to complete manageable tasks can build confidence and independence over time. The goal is not a rapid withdrawal of assistance. It is a purposeful progression from direct adult intervention to supports the student can recognize and use with less help.

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Mulick is currently a director of special education for Auburn School District in Washington state. He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in special education and behavior analysis from Gonzaga University and previously taught students with disabilities from preschool through high school. He has since trained teachers, administrators, therapists, paraeducators and school transportation professionals across the country.

He is also a familiar presenter to STN conference audiences. His previous sessions have addressed student behavior, autism, positive reinforcement and the need to connect transportation more closely with the classroom and the rest of the educational program. His 2024 TSD keynote challenged attendees to reconsider the experiences of students with autism and provide more individualized, informed support on the school bus.

Early Bird registration for the TSD Conference is $499 through Oct. 2. Main conference registration provides access to workshops, breakout sessions, general and keynote sessions, networking events, the TSD Trade Show and reception, and the Safety and Technology Product Demonstration and Special Needs Ride & Drive. Visit the TSD Conference website to register and view the latest agenda.

Article written with the assistance of an AI transcript.

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Delaware State Police have arrested a man accused of pointing a handgun at a school bus carrying students.

Charles McCombs, 62, of Magnolia, was charged with multiple felony offenses following an investigation into the June 9 incident, according to Delaware State Police.

Police said the investigation began at about 8 p.m. when the school resource officer assigned to Polytech High School was notified by school administrators about a cellphone video showing a man pointing a firearm at students on a school bus.

Detectives determined the incident occurred earlier that day while a school bus was traveling through Magnolia, Delaware.

According to investigators, a student aboard the bus sprayed water from a water gun at a man riding a Can-Am Spyder motorcycle traveling alongside the bus. After being sprayed, the motorcyclist became angry, yelled at students and then allegedly pulled out a handgun and pointed it toward bus as he drove away.

Gun Threat Results in Arrest, Unknown Consequences for Students

Authorities said no injuries were reported, and no shots were fired during the encounter. However, investigators considered the alleged actions serious enough to pursue felony charges.

State police used investigative techniques to identify the suspect as McCombs and obtained an arrest warrant. Details about the methods used to identify him were not released.

McCombs was taken into custody without incident June 11 and transported to Delaware State Police Troop 3 for processing. He was charged with one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and six counts of aggravated menacing, all felony offenses.

Under Delaware law, aggravated menacing involves intentionally placing another person in fear of imminent physical injury through the display of what appears to be a deadly weapon.

Police did not immediately release additional information about the six aggravated menacing charges, including whether each count corresponds to an individual student or another victim involved in the incident. There was also no mention if any discipline was handed out to students involved in the incident.

Following his arrest, McCombs was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2. He was subsequently committed to Sussex Correctional Institution after failing to post a $48,000 secured bond, according to authorities.

No additional details about the investigation were immediately available. It was also unclear whether McCombs has retained legal representation. The case remains under investigation.

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An upstate New York school bus driver has been fired after video allegedly shows him repeatedly slamming on the brakes and yelling at student riders during his route, reported KTTC News.

Sarah and Matt Martineau, whose three children attend schools in the Boquet Valley Central School District, said their daughter first told them in early March that the driver had been “brake-checking” students during a bus ride.

Video obtained by local news reporters from cameras inside and outside the bus appeared to support the children’s account. Speed data from the footage showed the bus slowing by nearly 10 mph during the brake-checking, or sudden braking incidents. Students were seen jolting forward in their seats, while exterior footage showed no vehicles immediately in front of the bus.

The Martineaus said their son later complained of neck pain after an incident. According to the parents, the boy stood up and moved into the aisle to sit near his sister when the driver allegedly brake-checked again.

“I had told her to have him go sit with her to make sure he was OK, and as he got up to go sit with her, the bus driver brake checked the bus again and then started screaming at him,” Sarah told local news reporters

School Bus Video Tells the Tale

The video also appeared to show the driver arguing with a student and suggesting the braking was related to students not following directions. “There’s no need for anyone to drive a vehicle of that size to brake check for any reason,” Matt Martineau said.

Matt Martineau reportedly said he contacted the district superintendent, who acknowledged there had been inappropriate yelling and braking but considered the braking justified.

After weeks without further action, the Martineaus raised their concerns during a school board meeting in late April. Five days later, the school board voted unanimously to fire the driver, identified as Jeremy Ward. District officials did not provide details about the dismissal. School officials declined immediate comments to reporters.

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