
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.
PORTLAND, Ore. — The 2010 National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) Summit, to be held here Oct. 30 to Nov. 4, will address myriad topics through sessions and workshops. Among them will be issues related to special-needs students and transportation of these students to and from school.
On Oct. 31, the “Special Needs Transportation 101” two-part workshop will explain the legal basis for special-needs transportation. Definitions of transportation and related special-education terms in accordance with the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008; and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act regulations will be provided during an interactive discussion.
The second half of the workshop will focus on the characteristics of children with special needs and special considerations for transporting them, including a discussion of students’ individualized education programs.
Later that day, another workshop will cover communicating safety to children with disabilities. It will provide an overview of several ways to instruct safety effectively to children who may struggle with communication and what transportation professionals can do from a management position to assist in this instruction.
On Tuesday, Nov. 2, “Hot Topics in Special Education” will provide a review of recent court decisions and other topics that are generating questions, concern or confusion about the rights of students with disabilities under IDEA and Section 504. In addition, the workshop will cover administrative hearings regarding student residency and discipline issues.
Also on Tuesday, Dr. Alexa Posny, assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services for the U.S. Department of Education, will explain during a keynote presentation how and why the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services supports programs that offer information and assistance to parents of children with disabilities and members of the education community who serve these individuals, particularly those in transportation.
For more information about the NAPT Summit, visit www.naptonline.org and click on the "Annual Summit" tab.
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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