More than 200 transportation and emergency response professionals gathered recently for the second annual Operation STEER (Student Transportation Emergency Education and Response), a hands-on school bus safety training initiative aimed at improving emergency preparedness for school transportation personnel statewide.

Hosted by Region 6 Education Service Center (ESC) on March 1 and in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation, the full-scale training event held at the Hays Consolidated Independent School District Transportation Training Facility near Austin provided live emergency simulations for school bus drivers, first responders and education officials. Attendees represented over 65 Texas school districts, reinforcing the program’s growing statewide impact.

Diane Wilson, the school bus safety training specialist for Region 6 ESC, first conceived Operation STEER after attending an emergency evacuation training session at the TSD Conference in November 2023. The immersive experience, led by Launi Harden, Denny Coughlin, Diandra Nugent, and Aaron Harris, places participants in high-pressure crisis scenarios, including evacuating a smoke-filled school bus, securing and handling training dolls representing children of various ages, and practicing emergency techniques such as seatbelt cutting, fire extinguisher use, and proper evacuation methods.

“The ability to remain calm and take decisive action in a crisis can be the difference between life and death,” Wilson said. “I wanted to bring that level of preparedness to Texas so that our school transportation teams and emergency responders could experience firsthand what it’s like to manage these high-pressure situations.”

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By expanding on the TSD Conference’s core training elements, Wilson designed Operation STEER to offer school districts a realistic, scenario-based approach to handling transportation emergencies. The program also prioritizes assistance for preschoolers and students with disabilities, ensuring all children receive the specialized care and securement they need during an evacuation.

Operation STEER is made possible through a collaboration between Region 6 ESC and a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation, with support from industry partners and vendors that contributed resources, expertise and donations to enhance the training experience.

“Their contributions were essential in delivering a comprehensive and impactful training experience,” Wilson said. “With the support of these industry leaders, we’re able to continuously expand and improve our training efforts, ensuring that school transportation professionals and first responders receive the most effective hands-on experience possible.”
Participation in Operation STEER has grown significantly compared to its inaugural year. This year’s event brought together over 200 attendees, including transportation dispatchers, bus drivers, transportation directors, school bus driver trainers, firefighters, EMS students, and first responder trainees.

“This diverse group of professionals creates a richer, more collaborative learning environment,” Wilson explained. “It’s not just about training school bus staff, it’s about ensuring that emergency responders, transportation leaders and safety professionals are working together as a unit to handle real-life scenarios.”

With the program’s train-the-trainer model, school districts can implement Operation STEER’s lessons within their own communities, ensuring that best practices reach transportation teams across Texas.

The event featured interactive emergency response exercises, equipping participants with critical life-saving skills through immersive, real-world scenarios. Key demonstrations included:

• Live extrication exercises with Travis County Fire Rescue, simulating school bus rescue scenarios using specialized equipment.
• Smoke-filled bus evacuation drills, allowing participants to practice safe student extraction in low-visibility emergency conditions.
• Fire extinguisher training, teaching bus drivers how to control small fires before they escalate.
• CPR, first aid, and “Stop the Bleed” training, provided by the Capital Area of Texas Regional Advisory Council (CATRAC).
• Special needs student securement and evacuation, in collaboration with BESI and Q’Straint, focusing on the unique challenges of assisting students with disabilities.
• Emergency railroad evacuation drills, conducted with Operation Lifesaver and Leander  Independent School District, reinforcing best practices for evacuations near railways.
  Wilson emphasized that the curriculum is continuously evolving based on industry best practices and feedback from past participants.

“This year, we placed a greater emphasis on special needs student securement and evacuation procedures,” she said. “We wanted to ensure that transportation personnel are equipped to assist students with a wider range of disabilities during emergency situations.”
Wilson said she is already planning expanded future Operation STEER events.

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Wilson shared she and her team are considering introducing new training modules, including active assault/weapon response scenarios and extreme student behavior management, to better prepare transportation professionals for complex crisis situations.

“We want to make sure that transportation staff are fully equipped to handle complex, high-stress situations in real time,” Wilson noted.

In addition to expanding the event’s content, Wilson said she has her sights set on broadening the program’s geographic reach.

“Our vision is to take Operation STEER to all regions of Texas, ensuring that every school district and emergency responder has access to this essential training,” she said. “We’re also exploring ways to share this experience at a national level, helping other states strengthen their student transportation safety measures.”

This year’s sponsors were: Holt Truck Centers; Longhorn Bus Sales; Smart Tag; IMMI/Safeguard; United Safety and Survivability; BESI, Inc.; First Services/First Student; Q’Straint/Sure-Lok; and Adroit.

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A school bus transporting 10 students in Sherbon, Massachusetts, veered off the road after the driver suffered a medical emergency.

The Sherborn Fire and Rescue Department released a statement Thursday confirming that the crash occurred when the school bus driver was dropping students off from school.

The driver, who was not identified at this writing, had reportedly come to a complete stop and was driving slowly when they experienced a medical emergency, causing the school bus to crash into trees.

There were no other injuries reported. All the students were checked by medical professionals at the scene and released to their parents shortly after. The school bus driver was transported to a local hospital, and their condition was unknown at this report.

A student told local news reporters that the school driver hit the curb before crashing into a pole and then a tree. Neighbors witnessed the incident and rushed to help evacuate the students.

The Sherborn Fire and Rescue Department posted photos of the scene on their social media. The incident remains under investigation.

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A school bus driver in Jackson Township in Ohio is being hailed as a hero after risking his own life to save others including a dog during a house fire, reported The Washington Post.

According to the news report, 54-year-old Todd Morris, a retired police officer and current school bus driver, was heading home from a doctor’s appointment on Jan. 22, when he saw smoke rising into the sky from a house.

Temperatures that day were subzero, which closed school. Morris was in his personal vehicle when he came upon the fire.

Morris told local news reporters that as soon as he turned a corner, he saw the house of two of the children on his normal elementary school bus route on fire. He stated he knew that the students were off that day as well and probably home.

Morris stopped his car, got out and sprinted toward the house as he dialed 911. He told local news reporters that he started knocking on the door and yelling out the kids’ names.

Because there was no response, Morris said he relied on his police training and kicked in the locked door, forcing an entry into the residence. The smoke was getting heavy, but after a few minutes into his search, he found two terrified dogs.

The dogs taken outside of the home safely and Morris went back in to clear the residence. By the time the kitchen ceiling began to collapse, and the second floor was fully engulfed, Morris evacuated and the fire department showed up to put out the flames.

According to the article, residents Matt Fisher and his wife were at work when the fire broke out. Their four children were with their grandmother, who was taking care of them while school wasn’t in session.

Fisher told local news reporters that once he learned about the fire, he panicked because he knew the dogs were there. The family also had a cat, which did not survive the fire. Still, Fisher said he is grateful to Morris for saving his dogs and alerting authorities of the fire, which remained under investigation at this report.

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Following the spread of several destructive wildfires across Southern California last month, transportation operations are just beginning to realize the impact on the students served.

More than 23,700 acres burned during the Palisades Fire, the most destructive fire in Los Angeles City history and third-most destructive in the state. Nearly 18,000 structures were burned, including homes, schools and businesses. At least 12 were killed as of this report. Parts of Malibu and Santa Monica were also devastated.

Neal Abramson, the recently retired transportation director for the Santa Monica – Malibu Unified School District, told School Transportation News that continued road closures were heavily impacting transportation services. Pacific Coast Highway finally reopened on Monday, nearly four weeks after the fire broke out on Jan. 7.

Abramson, who is still involved with the district as a consultant, noted that some school buses had to go 70 to 100 miles around road closures to transport students to and from school. Other school bus routes simply did not run at all.

He said students were displaced in areas where routes can be one to two hours long one way. That has been a challenge to a primarily CNG fleet and a 220-mile range per bus.

Many are still trying to navigate the impact of the fires and how it will affect transportation in the long run. Danielle Press, EverDriven’s chief growth officer, noted the alternative transportation company had yet to see an increase in student riders affected or displaced by the fires, but she anticipates it will come.

“We know affected districts are currently working to understand the impact fires have had on their student’s transportation,” she said, adding that no EverDriven employees or partners were directly impacted by the fires. “We think we’ll see a gradual increase in student riders directly impacted by the fires within the next one to two months.”

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Unified School District, which serves the Pacific Palisades community, helped with the evacuation of students and staff from Marquez Elementary School and Palisades Charter Elementary School, both of which were significantly damaged by fire. An LAUSD public information officer added that some school buses were stuck on Sunset Boulevard, which stretches from Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades to downtown Los Angeles, due to people abandoning their personal vehicles to flee from the fires.

The district closed schools in early January due to air quality concerns and remained closed for several days. As school reopened, LAUSD added routes and adjusted them accordingly to meet the needs of students. Transportation continues to monitor the situation, the spokesperson added. No information was shared on if facilities or vehicles were damaged.

Several commenters in a Facebook school bus drivers group shared they too were involved in evacuation efforts.

Also on Jan. 7, about 30 miles away, the Eaton Fire broke out. It ultimately destroyed 9,000 structures and damaged another 1,074. The fire, which killed at least 17 people, greatly affected the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD), which serves Altadena, Linda Vista, Pasadena, and surrounding cities. More than 10,000 students and 1,387 employees lived in the evacuation zones, and many lost their homes.

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State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and PUSD announced on Jan. 14 an agreement to provide free emergency housing for over 1,300 PUSD staff whose homes were evacuated within the burn zone of the Eaton Fire.

“Providing housing for impacted school staff is a critical step toward reopening PUSD schools and stabilizing the Pasadena community,” a press release stated, adding that the housing was made available through Airbnb.org, a nonprofit organization founded by Airbnb that connects people to free emergency housing in times of crisis.

School Transportation News asked PUSD if any transportation employees were utilizing the housing but had not received a reply at this report.

Due to school buildings being destroyed, the district announced classes were being moved to various locations throughout the community. The district announced a phased reopening plan starting on Jan. 23. As of this week, all schools have reopened.

Joanna McFarland, co-founder and CEO of HopSkipDrive, said her alternative transportation company is committed to being a part of the recovery and rebuilding efforts.

“It’s an understatement to say that our hearts go out to the students, families, and school teams who have been impacted by the wildfires in Southern California over the last few weeks,” McFarland said. “We know that rebuilding will take time and there are immediate needs for transportation support for displaced students as well as impacted district staff. We are proud to work alongside our partners to arrange transportation for students with just six hours’ notice. Whether a child is temporarily displaced and needs to get to school, a school now is located somewhere new and must route students immediately, or the impacts on district staff make it difficult to fulfill transportation needs the way they once had, HopSkipDrive is able to meet these needs safely and reliably.”

Both fires have been contained and extinguished at this report. However, a new report by UCLA on the economic impact of the wildfires estimates total property and capital losses range between $95 billion and $164 billion. Prior to these fires, California’s most expensive wildfire was the 2018 Northern California “Camp Fire” with an estimated $30 billion in losses.

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