Send Drivers Into the Classroom

How can we better educate our staff in charge of transporting students with special needs? Most districts offer in-service training on characteristics of children with disabilities, how to handle seizures or medical emergencies and the like. But is this enough? In the classroom, students with special needs are attended by teachers with four- to six-year college degrees in special education. Teachers usually have the support of a classroom aide, a building principal, perhaps even a school nurse. But out there on the school bus, it can be a little scary for the driver, who generally does not have the same level of expertise, to care for special-needs students and safely drive the bus! Perhaps the best training we can offer our transportation personnel is to have them spend a day (or even a few hours) in the classroom! School officials will likely welcome your initiative, while participants will be able to observe for themselves how behavior and medical needs are handled by the experts. Please don’t forget to pay your staff for their time spent in the classroom! This is in-service training at its best! Linda K. Barnwell Educational Transportation Consulting Mesa, Ariz. BusMeETC@aol.com