WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has scheduled a day-long public meeting to discuss passenger crash protection on school buses, with a focus on the possible safety benefits of seat belts. The meeting is slated for July 11 in the nation’s capital. According to Mike Martin, executive director of the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT), the meeting will comprise four panel discussions moderated by NHTSA Administrator Nicole Nason. Also scheduled to attend are U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters and Mark Rosenker, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. One of the panels will focus on state policies regarding seat belts and school buses and will include state pupil transportation directors Charlie Hood (Florida) and John Green (California). The panel will also include Jeff Tsai, a transportation program director for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Another panel will focus on technology and will feature representatives of the manufacturers of large school buses and one of the industry’s seat belt suppliers. A third panel will feature perspectives from the field and will include Alan Ross of the National Coalition for School Bus Safety. The fourth panel will feature representatives of organizations such as the NAPT and the American Academy of Pediatrics. For more information about the meeting, see the June 4 edition of the Federal Register.