Linda Bluth will bring her decades of expertise in special needs transportation to two sessions at the upcoming Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs (TSD) National Conference in Frisco, Texas, examining how student transporters should respond when guidance is flawed or absent and what proposed federal changes could mean for Head Start transportation.

A TSD Conference Tenured Faculty member, Bluth has been associated with the training since its inception in 1992, when she delivered one of the inaugural conference’s keynote presentations. Her return continues a commitment to helping transportation professionals understand and meet the needs of students with disabilities and preschoolers.

Bluth’s career spans six decades of work in special education and school transportation. She is a past president of the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT), a former chair of its Special Needs Committee and an NAPT Hall of Fame member. Her work has included federal and state education policy, school administration, professional training and extensive writing on transporting students with disabilities.

She also serves as an expert witness in legal cases nationwide involving school transportation safety and compliance, bringing a perspective informed by both daily operational challenges and the consequences when services fall short.

On Friday, Nov. 6, Bluth will moderate the opening general session, “When Guidance is Incorrect or Missing.” Fellow TSD Conference Tenured Faculty members Alexandra Robinson, Launi Harden and Sue Shutrump will join her for the panel discussion.

The session draws from Bluth’s column in the October edition of School Transportation News magazine. It will examine the importance of questioning direction from supervisors when that guidance conflicts with regulations, compliance obligations or best practices. Attendees will hear strategies for addressing these situations rather than simply accepting instructions that could compromise appropriate transportation services.

View the TSD Conference agenda

Bluth will also present “Head Start Transportation at a Crossroads” on Saturday, Nov. 7, addressing the potential implications of a federal notice of proposed rulemaking that would substantially reshape Head Start’s operating requirements.

The proposal, issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families, would rescind and replace the existing Head Start Program Performance Standards with a more limited federal framework. It would remove detailed requirements, including transportation provisions, while relying more heavily on state and local rules. The agency describes the proposal as an effort to reduce regulatory burdens and give programs greater flexibility while preserving statutory obligations.

Among the proposed transportation changes is eliminating the federal requirement for a bus monitor to be on board vehicles transporting Head Start children, leaving staffing decisions more dependent on local operating practices and applicable state or local requirements. The proposal is not a final rule.

For student transporters, those potential changes raise practical questions about how programs would establish and maintain consistent safety expectations for their youngest passengers. Bluth’s session will provide an opportunity to examine what the proposed shift could mean for Head Start transportation operations.

The TSD Conference takes place Nov. 4–10 at the Embassy Suites in Frisco, Texas.

Attendees can save $100 on Main Conference registration by registering before the Early Bird discount expires Friday, Oct. 2. The Early Bird rate is $499, compared with the $599 standard rate. Main Conference registration includes breakout, general and keynote sessions, networking events and the trade show. Certain special training courses require additional registration or fees. Registration is available through the TSD Conference website.

Related: Proposed Head Start Regulation Changes Could Impact Transportation
Related: Crashes, Proposed Head Start Changes Underline Need for Proper Preschooler Securement
Related: New Date Set for NHTSA Child Passenger Safety Training at TSD
Related: Closing TSD Keynote Bridges Gap Between Student Behavior, Positive Reinforcement

The post Bluth to Address Safety Guidance, Head Start Proposal at TSD Conference appeared first on School Transportation News.

TSD Conference attendees making travel plans for November may want to think twice before booking their flight home.

A new two-hour experience, “Big Ideas and TSD Takeaways,” concludes the 2026 TSD Conference on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 8 to 10 a.m. Rather than simply recapping the event, the interactive session is being designed to challenge attendees with the kinds of complicated, real-world situations that student transporters regularly encounter, and that are not addressed in a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP).

The featured workshop, “Twists, Turns & Modifications: A Scenario-based Workshop for Achieving Safety, Compliance & Best Practices in Transportation,” will ask participants to work through scenarios involving students with disabilities and special needs. The answer may not be as simple as following a written procedure, and it is highly likely is no time to wait for an IEP team to reconvene and address the issue.

School buses and other school vehicles are dynamic environments. An IEP may establish transportation requirements, but not every situation that develops during a route can be anticipated on paper. Safety concerns, changing student needs, medical issues, behavior and other circumstances can require transportation professionals and collaborators to assess what is happening, determine what can safely be done in the moment and understand what should happen next.

That intersection between compliance and real-world decision-making will form the foundation of the closing workshop. Organizers are developing scenarios that will allow attendees to discuss possible responses, hear different perspectives and examine how transportation, special education, medical and therapeutic considerations can influence a decision.

The goal is to make the final two hours of the TSD Conference some of the most participatory and practical of the entire conference — while giving attendees an opportunity to connect lessons learned throughout the week and take those ideas back to their operations.

Twists, Turns & Modifications” also serves as the logical bookend for Friday, Nov. 6 opening general session “When Guidance is Incorrect or Missing.”  Following a keynote by behavior expert Patrick Mulick, TSD Tenured Faculty members Alexandra Robinson, Launi Harden and Sue Shutrump will discuss the importance of not accepting direction from superiors that contradicts regulations, compliance or best practices. The session is based on an article written by fellow TSD Tenured Faculty Member Emeritus Linda Bluth, which will appear in the October edition of School Transportation News magazine. Attendees will receive strategies on how to handle these situations.

Main Conference registration is currently $499 under the Early Bird rate through Oct. 2, a $100 savings from standard registration beginning Oct. 3. Registration includes access to keynote, general and breakout educational sessions as well as conference networking events.

Related: ASL Training at TSD Conference to Equip Student Transporters for Safer Communication 
Related: Legal Keynote to Examine Court Rulings Reshaping Special Needs Transportation
Related: (STN Podcast E320) Unpacking Updates: Legal Eagle Illuminates U.S. Department of Education Shifts
Related: New Date Set for NHTSA Child Passenger Safety Training at TSD

The post Workshop on Solving Challenging Transportation Scenarios to Close TSD Conference appeared first on School Transportation News.