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.”

Related: Texas Program Enhances School Bus Safety Through Simulation Training

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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Related: In Case of an Emergency

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.

Related: Georgia School Bus Driver Named “Hidden Hero” After Saving Student’s Life
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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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A school bus emergency that requires evacuation becomes even more multi-faceted when the unique needs of students with special needs or disabilities are factored in. At the 2024 Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs Conference (TSD) Conference, attendees of the Hands-on School Bus Evacuations for Students with Special Needs & Preschoolers class encountered this in real time during.

The TSD Conference brings together student transporters, special educators and other stakeholders for collaboration, education, networking and the critical hands-on training needed for those transporting our most precious cargo. Due to increased interest, two evacuation classes were held at the conference, one on Nov. 9 and one on Nov. 10. Both were hosted by Frisco Independent School District.

Launi Schmutz-Harden, industry consultant and TSD Tenured Faculty member, was one of the instructors for the class. Her many years in transportation have given her unique insight into the impact of emergency training. She noted the importance of collaboration when developing emergency response training. She listed meetings with emergency personnel, occupational & physical therapists, nurses, teachers and parents all as invaluable when determining an effective strategy to keep students and staff safe during emergency situations.

STN reached out to attendees who participated in the evacuation class to document their experiences. One such attendee was Joe Boyles, a school bus driver driver-trainer for the Montana Association for Pupil Transportation (MAPT). He had been driving a non-yellow school bus since 2013 and began operating his first yellow school bus route in 2023. His experience driving a bus with students with special needs only began last August. He explained that there was a need for a driver-trainer specifically for drivers of special education routes, which led him to attend the TSD Conference.

“I registered for the evacuation training because I have a student in a wheelchair and I did not have any training on evacuating a student in a wheelchair,” said Boyles. “I know that evacuations are a challenge any time, but I felt that if I got this training, I could bring it back to our district as well as create my own training for MAPT.

Misty Horttor, the route coordinator for Elko County School District in Nevada, said her experience working with students with special needs began in 2017, when she applied for a job as a substitute bus aide on for special education routes. Her career progressed to school bus driver, then driver-trainer, and she now serves in not only as route coordinator but site supervisor and lead trainer. She learned about the TSD Conference while attending STN EXPO West in Reno, Nevada.

She said the evacuation greatly interested her as “our drivers, especially our new drivers, are always intimidated by the thought of evacuation and evacuation drills. If there is a way to help them become more confident in their abilities, I am all for it.”

Both Boyles and Hortter said they received a wealth of information from the class. The classroom part of the evacuation class also includes a quiz for participants.

“The classroom part was great in that I needed the information to make the practical part make more sense. If you know the why we are doing this, the practice and practical part makes more sense,” said Boyles. “Coming up with an evacuation plan was probably the most informative for me. I needed to do one for my bus and this training gave me the information I needed to write that evacuation plan.”

“One of the most rewarding aspects of teaching this class is witnessing the attendees engage in brainstorming sessions to develop evacuation plans,” added Harden. “Their passion for their work and commitment to the children they support often leads to emotional moments, underscoring the importance of this training.”

The hands-on training has participants enter a bus filled with theater smoke to mimic conditions during an on-board fire. The vehicle also contains dolls representing student riders with various special needs and disabilities. Using fire extinguishers and other tools, attendees implement evacuation plans to safely remove the students. Horttor said she rescued a student in a car seat, using belt cutters, evacuated a student with a blanket and other challenging scenarios.

“You have no idea how disorienting the smoke will be until you are in the bus,” noted Horttor. “How difficult it is to sweep the whole bus to make sure no one was missed and how staggering it can feel to realize that in a real situation, which I’m sure would be a hundred times more stressful, you would have lost an actual child. It was an eye-opening experience that I would love to try with all of our drivers.”

Boyles noted how he appreciated the smoke for the added realism, saying, “It was a real eye opener for me. To be able to search a bus while keeping low is a lot harder than you would think. Knowing it was practice helped me to not panic and make a thorough search. I just hope that if I ever need to do a search, I can keep calm and be thorough.”

Horttor noted the importance of having an evacuation plan and practicing it is often underestimated by many. Engaging in the training at TSD also provided valuable input from student transportation professionals from other operations across the country that are facing their own unique challenges, she said. “This training made us think about the what ifs, including some what ifs that haven’t crossed our minds. But thanks to our very knowledgeable instructors, we hope these situations never happen, but we have plans in case they do.”

Harden shared feedback she received from Ann Taylor, coordinator of transportation at Clay County Schools in Florida, who has attended the evacuation class three times. “She appreciates the collaborative learning environment, where students share valuable insights with one another,” said Harden.

Harden continued that many participants of the class are using the information they learned at the TSD evacuation class at their operations in such states as California, Delaware, Florida, Oregon and Texas.

“As this was the first national training I have ever been to, I did not know what to expect. I was a bit overwhelmed as I am a new special needs driver,” said Boyles. “I truly believe that I gained much information that I will be able to use at our school district. I can also use that information in training other drivers across the state of Montana.”

Boyles continued “I will say that I learned so much at this conference that I am very glad I attended. I got so much information that I hope to use in the future at our school district. I plan to have a meeting with the Transportation Director about things we can implement and make our buses safer and have our drivers better trained. I would suggest to everyone, only change one thing at a time.”

Horttor summed up her experience saying, “I feel better about the training we are providing to our drivers as well as the things I can add to our training program in the future to hopefully help our drivers become more knowledgeable and confident in their ability to handle the situations that may come with this job.”

Harden noted the importance of registering for trainings early due to high demand and not underestimating the amount of time that should be spent on continuing the training.

“It is crucial to understand the importance of practicing evacuations with students, as it can take up to a year for them to learn how to exit safely in an emergency. For some students, the height of the backdoor can be daunting, akin to jumping from a two-story building. Planning and practicing is essential for the students that ride the bus,” said Harden. “This training is crucial at TSD, which serves as a comprehensive resource for those involved in transporting students with disabilities. We discuss real-life scenarios and ensure that all attendees are prepared for emergencies.”

Related: (STN Podcast E236) TSD 2024 Recap: Supporting Students with Special Needs as Unique People
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Related: Gallery: Smoke & Safety at TSD Evacuation Class

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