Opinion
Tere are many more stories to share about the early days that would be unfath- omable today. I marvel at how attitudes and practices
have changed over the past 40 years, but I simultaneously acknowledge that the work ahead of us requires improved, orga- nized advocacy and accountability, as well as significant breakthroughs in reaching the mainstream of education leadership to meet multiple daily complex transporta- tion challenges. A glaring discrepancy exists between
the progress in school bus vehicles and equipment (especially technology) and driver training. If a single picture is worth a million words, then look at the engine and interior of a school bus versus some of the horrific student behavior captured on videos in recent years. Tis example paints a clear picture of the need for polices and proce- dures and a reasonable solution to what can be an overwhelming ride for both the driver and children encountering endless
days of bullying. Tis cannot occur without a significant change in driver training and educational administrative support. Te message is a clear one. Transporta-
tion advocates and leaders must influence education leaders to consider the school bus ride as an integrated part of the school day. Not to be under estimated is the impact of a positive school bus ride on educational learning and outcomes. Bridging the gap between safe ridership and appropriate driver training requires fu- ture evidenced-based research. Understand- ing the differences between students with disabilities receiving transportation services on regular routes versus special routes could better determine the differences needed for competent driver training programs. All too frequently the driver-training curriculum is not commensurate with the type of students being transported. I cannot over emphasize the number of drivers that have shared concerns about inadequate training as well as receiving inadequate information about
individual student disabilities. For example, the student who is a runner and gets off at another child’s stop and cannot be found, or the student that had a previous histo- ry of trying to open the emergency door. Information that was never shared resulted in unforeseen consequences. Transportation personnel are eager to
learn and deserve to receive the knowledge and information needed to meet their respective job responsibilities. Many things have changed but there is still a long way to go before we meet the necessary profession- al training of special needs transportation personnel. l
Dr. Bluth is a consultant for the Maryland State Department of Education’s Division of Special Education Early Intervention Services, a professional expert witness and a member of the TSD Conference Tenured Faculty. She may be contacted at lfbluth@
verizon.net.
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