WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As a result of the current fiscal emergency in the state of California, all travel under any circumstances for the California Department of Education/Office of School Transportation (CDE/OST) staff has been halted.

Because of the imposed travel restrictions, all three of the upcoming "Transporting Children with Special Needs" conferences scheduled to be held in Madera, Poway and Humboldt are canceled.

Due to the high number of participants registered in the three conferences, CDE/OST will attempt to address the need for information on this topic within the scope of the travel restrictions imposed by the state. The agency will hold three alternative dates for the "Transporting Children with Special Needs" conference at the CDE/OST facility in West Sacramento, Calif. The dates are as follows:

• Tuesday and Wednesday, March 24 and 25

• Saturday and Sunday, April 18 and 19

• Thursday and Friday, June 18 and 19

  All three conferences will be held at the California Department of Education, Office of School Transportation, 825 Riverside Parkway, Suite 110, West Sacramento, CA 95605.

  The agency also has a variety of stand-alone training classes available.

  In a statement, the agency said “CDE/OST is committed to providing a high level of excellence in education and training for the transportation industry. Your continued patience and understanding is greatly appreciated as nearly all of us within the industry face uncertain budgetary times.”

  For information, call CDE/OST at (916) 375-7100.