WARRENSBURG, Mo. — In its quinquennial ritual (yes, that’s every five years), the National Conference on School Transportation (NCST) will convene May 15 to 19 on the campus of Central Missouri State University to discuss guidelines for increased safety and efficiency of school bus operations and equipment.

Delegates will come from all over the U.S. to assemble a document on specifications and procedures for school transportation. The final product will update the 2000 National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures.

The document is adopted in its entirety for standard use by some states. The majority of states, however, use the specifications and procedures only as guidelines or recommendations.

The proposed language in the document is put together by writing committees. At the conference, delegates deliberate the language, propose modifications and approve the final wording. Delegates, who generally number more than 300, also consider approval of resolutions on a wide range of industry issues.

The first NCST conference was held in 1939. For more information about the conference, visit www.14thncst.org or contact Charlie Hood, chair of the NCST steering committee, at (850) 245-9795 or charlie.hood@fldoe.org.