Transportation officials complete NAPT special-needs training program

ALBANY, N.Y. — Barry R. Sudduth, Joy E. Winnie, David Weissman and Karen Holstein have joined the group of pupil transportation professionals who have successfully completed the National Association for Pupil Transportation’s (NAPT) Special Needs Transportation (SNT) Training Program.

Sudduth is transportation supervisor at Stafford County Public Schools in Fredericksburg, Va. He is also Region 2 director for NAPT, and he is the 14th person in the nation to complete the association’s special-needs training program. Winnie is transportation supervisor at Northampton (Mass.) Public Schools; she is the 15th person to complete the training. Weissman, director of transportation at Lexington/Richland School District #5 in Irmo, S.C., is the 16th person to complete the program. Holstein is an employee of Klein (Texas) Independent School District, and she is the 17th person to complete the training.

The NAPT SNT Training Program provides numerous opportunities for transportation personnel serving students with disabilities to access educational opportunities at both local and national conferences and to gain national recognition for their efforts.

The program has a core curriculum that consists of six special-needs courses in a variety of settings, including a school bus roadeo and a trade show of school transportation products and services.

The core curriculum is supplemented by two courses of elective instruction from the NAPT Professional Development Series Program. The syllabus for the core curriculum has been specifically designed to increase an individual’s specific knowledge about transporting students with disabilities, according to the association.