The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) and the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) will hold their annual conferences in Cincinnati in October.

The 2011 NASDPTS conference will be held Oct. 21-24 (Friday to Monday), and the 37th Annual NAPT conference and trade show will take place Oct. 22-27 (Saturday to Thursday), both at the Duke Energy Convention Center.

The NASDPTS conference will include presentations on important subjects, such as bullying, meeting the requirements of FMVSS 101 and changes to school bus flammability and passenger crash protection standards.  

In "Bullying — Stopping the Pain and Violence," Alexandra Robinson, the incoming president of NAPT, and Max Christensen, the Iowa state director of pupil transportation, will discuss tactics and tools for preventing bullying on school buses.

On the first day of the NASDPTS conference, attendees will receive the results of a national stop-arm violation survey and discuss how to address the results in two back-to-back sessions: "Lessons Learned, What's Next?" and "Fighting Back." "Lessons Learned, What's Next?" will be hosted by Derek Graham, North Carolina state director of pupil transportation, and Charlie Hood, Florida state director of pupil transportation.

Kim Koenigs, executive director of the Worth County (Iowa) Development Authority, will provide attendees with information about what is being done in her state to fight stop-arm violators during "Fighting Back."

High-profile speakers in the NASDPTS event will include Mark Eaton, a former NBA All-Star, Deborah Hersman, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, and David Strickland, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

At the NAPT conference, Mark Aesch, CEO of the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority, will serve as a keynote speaker. During his presentation, Aesch will offer attendees management tips for their operations.

Additionally,  Professional Development Series courses will be offered during the conference.

The series will cover leadership and management, business writing, and school bus routing and scheduling, among other topics. The first class is a student transportation orientation that will provide attendees with a comprehensive overview of all aspects of contemporary pupil transportation and the foundation for all of the NAPT certification programs.

Several technical sessions will be offered at the NAPT conference, on topics such as minimizing the risk of legal disputes in the aftermath of staffing decisions and maintaining the integrity of transportation programs while facing fiscal restraints.

A special-needs transportation session will cover challenging student behaviors and how to manage them.

Moreover, the NAPT trade show will feature more than 120 different exhibits prepared by school bus manufacturers and school transportation product suppliers.

Next year's NAPT and NASDPTS conferences will be held in Memphis, Tenn.

Note: Conference agendas are subject to change.