
Rideshares for Student Transportation: Friend or Foe?
In addition to their nimble, responsive service, the kid-focused rideshares offer a learning opportunity in how they cater to parents’ needs and wants.
We have implemented area pickups. Drivers pick up all special-ed students in a designated area regardless of what school they attend. The buses meet in a central location and transfer students onto [a] bus servicing their assigned school. This reduces the students’ ride time and reduces cost through mileage and driver time.
COLLEEN MURPHY
Director of Transportation
Austintown Local School District
Youngstown, Ohio
With our geography pattern, we were able to combine Head Start students, pre-K and as many elementary students as feasible on the same routes in the mornings.
DENNIS NEWTON
Supervisor of Transportation
King George (Va.) County Public Schools
One of the procedures we have in place is taking daily attendance. If a student does not ride the bus three consecutive days, we will discontinue their transportation until a parent/guardian calls in. This has been a big help to us.
LU REDDIN
Director of Transportation
Tolleson (Ariz.) Union High School District
Looking at programs and bringing students to placements that are closer to the home district when possible has helped reduce some costs. ... Co-oping with [a] neighboring district has had a significant impact on our special-education routes for both our district and the neighboring district. Each of us has been able to eliminate some one-on-one transportation problems. We either trade services or bill each other for services.
BARBARA RIZZO
Director of Transportation
Peotone (Ill.) Community School District 207-U
Set [a] two-tier bell schedule that is universal for all student populations at one school site. If they share a campus, then they often can share the school bus.
RONALD HILL
Transportation Fleet Supervisor
Sacramento (Calif.) City Unified School District
In addition to their nimble, responsive service, the kid-focused rideshares offer a learning opportunity in how they cater to parents’ needs and wants.
The Florida driver and aide say they were unable to help a student who had a seizure and later died because they had no CPR training. The district says they had a recent refresher course.
The securement equipment supplier will annually honor a special-needs driver for exemplary service. The winner will receive $1,000.
The South Carolina driver and aide use their training to report the incident and request assistance, and comfort students when the bus is struck by a tractor-trailer. No one is hurt.
A South Carolina school bus driver and aide in a tractor-trailer crash share details on how they used their training to ensure the special-needs students aboard their bus stayed safe.
A California father seeks an investigation into past use of zip ties on harnesses to restrain his son and other students. The district has ended the practice and now uses new safety vests.
Hamilton Southeastern Schools reports that Thomas Built’s seat mounting system for special-needs buses helps keep floors clean and organized, and is easy to remove and install.
KVIE shares this snapshot of the career of Karen Sweet, a California driver who transports special-needs students. Sweet talks about the bond she has developed with the students and with their families over the last 29 years.
Transportation directors are legally required to accommodate students with disabilities to ensure access to education, but each case is different. Look for opportunities to include them with their able-bodied peers.
The sessions provide guidance on securing bus passengers who use wheelchairs.
The South Carolina driver doesn't initially realize that the girl is still aboard, but he brings her to school once he finds her, the district says.
Employees and friends dive into the Chesapeake Bay as part of Maryland State Police’s fundraising event.
Greenville County (S.C.) Schools’ Special Needs Physical Performance Test is conducted every year to ensure that special-needs drivers and attendants have the skills and abilities required to do the job.
Greenville County (S.C.) Schools’ Special Needs Physical Performance Test ensures that aides, as well as drivers, are capable of safely transporting special-needs students through measurable standards.
Todd Hawks joins the wheelchair and occupant securement supplier.
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Rachel
| about 5 years agoWhat are the rules and regulations concerning a special needs student who screams at will and spits at anyone near them?