School Transportation Nation

The special needs-focused TSD Conference kicks off this week, federal commercial driver's license (CDL) restrictions exacerbate school bus driver shortages, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) weighs in on tire safety.

Keith Henry, executive director of the Missouri Association for Pupil Transportation, a past president of the National Association of Pupil Transportation and a recent inductee into its Hall of Fame, shares stories from his career which started in the U.S Coast Guard and his collaborative leadership strategies in student transportation.

Read more about leadership.

Episode sponsors: Transfinder, EverDriven, School Radio.

Exciting headlines on School Bus Safety Week, a look at vintage school buses, Blue Bird bus manufacturing investment, more Lion Electric controversy, how politics affect clean bus funding, and a closer look at Thomas Built Buses products.

Brad Hayn, director of transportation for Hoover City Schools in Alabama, discusses his district's repeat wins of the Top Transportation Teams award presented by Transfinder, deescalating elevated student or parent behavior, and leadership by example for true teamwork.

Read more about leadership.

Episode spoonsors: Transfinder, School Radio.

School districts feel the pinch at the fuel pump, await news on Clean School Bus Program funding, and deal with extreme weather events threatening operations. Plus, the TSD Conference presents advice on leveraging AI as a tool.

Prosper Independent School District in Texas is hosting the hands-on evacuation training as well as The Roadeo Competition at the TSD Conference in a few weeks. Director of Transportation Teri Mapengo talks operational teamwork to better serve student with special needs, as well as meeting school bus fueling and staffing challenges.

Read more about special needs.

Episode sponsors: Transfinder, School Radio.

Analysis on safety conversations revived by a fatal Florida crash that killed a student and motorist, School Bus Safety Month, and discussion at the recent National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) Conference & Trade Show.

Consultant Sue Shutrump is a retired occupational and physical therapy supervisor for Trumbull County ESC in Ohio, co-chair of NAPT's Special Needs Advisory Committee, and member of the Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs (TSD) Conference Tenured Faculty. She discusses her eventful career including receipt of the NAPT Distinguished Service Award, plus nuances of student safety and the importance of federal guidelines.

Read more about special needs and safety.

Episode sponsors: Transfinder, School Radio.

We analyze safety and training lessons from the leadership-themed October issue of School Transportation News, the question of seatbelts in two scary school bus rollovers in Texas and Indiana, a child dragged by school bus loading doors in New York, and a driver and aide arrested for spraying disinfectant on a student with special needs.

Read more about training and safety.

Episode sponsors: Transfinder, School-Radio.

The student transportation industry faces questions after a 7-year-old student rider in a wheelchair died on her bus. Additionally, rising fuel costs alongside declining enrollment complicate matters.

Gabrielle Marie Kelley aka "Gabie the Author," former school bus dispatcher and current office manager for Irving Independent School District in Texas, takes us behind the scenes of the web series she has been sharing with STN readers titled "Calvin & Christina" following the adventures of Calvin, an anxious but dutiful bus driver, and his sentient and safety-conscious school bus named Christina.

Read more about safety.

Episode sponsor:Transfinder.

We discuss how non-domiciled CDL restrictions exacerbate the school bus driver shortage, new research on school zone and bus stop safety, reframing the student transportation conversation, and conference updates.

Consultant Launi Harden, who served as the former transportation director at Washington County School District in Utah and is the new executive director of the Florida Association of Pupil Transportation, analyzes transportation challenges driven by declining enrollment, funding and staff, the importance of bus attendants and alternative transportation, and essential hands-on emergency training she will help lead at the TSD Conference in November.

Read more about special needs.

Episode sponsor: Transfinder.

School startup across the U.S. comes with noteworthy snafus at Prince George's County Public Schools in Maryland, tragic student fatalities, and speculation on electric bus mandates and funding.

Glenna Wright-Gallo, vice president of policy for software provider Everway, leverages her personal experience having a disability and her experience as the former assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services to speak on student behavior, absenteeism, IEPs, assistive technology, travel training, funding, U.S. Department of Education upheavals and more. She will present a keynote at November's TSD Conference in Dallas-Frisco, Texas.

Read more about special needs.

Episode sponsor: Transfinder.

We examine the potential fallout from proposed changes to the Head Start program, increased danger as students return to school, a tornado that devastated a Wisconsin bus contractor, and updates from NAPT and TSD Conference.

Parker Muirbrook, strategic sales director at EverDriven, discusses new research and real-world examples that show how alternative transportation assists both district financials and student needs by providing safe and consistent school transportation.

Read more about special needs.

Episode sponsors: Transfinder, EverDriven, School Radio.

School districts focus on service and safety amidst students returning to school nationwide and new research on cellphone distraction among motorists. Plus, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services reiterated its support of lap/shoulder seatbelts on school buses.

Board Certified Behavior Analyst Patrick Mulick, the director of student engagement at Auburn School District in Washington state, and an upcoming fan-favorite TSD Conference keynote speaker, brings a voice of clarity and care to safely and appropriately transporting students with special needs, as well as supporting their independence.

Read more about special needs.

Episode sponsors: Transfinder, EverDriven, School Radio.