❝


Keeping drivers motivated and focused usually is a matter of leadership philosophy. ❞


A


An elementary student developed a


“spitting behavior” in the classroom that was transferred to the school bus. It be- came so pronounced the distraught bus driver began wearing a raincoat. Another event involved several children who at- tempted to climb through the windows while their bus was in motion. Ten there was the time a driver was locked out of the school bus by a student who jumped in the driver’s seat and released the parking brake. Tese are not episodes of Te Little


Rascals but real life occurrences involving students with special needs. Tese inci- dents represent much of what bus drivers must be prepared to endure when trans- porting students with special needs. Te spitting student has multiple disabilities. Te climbers are also special education students, and the student who locked out the bus driver has behavioral challenges. “If this happened on TV we might be


roaring with laughter; but when it hap- pens in reality, it is a serious problem,” says Chris Countrymen, behavioral specialist for the Madison School District in Phoe- nix. “Te behavior of some students with special needs is more extreme and dif- ficult to deal with. A big issue facing the driver is how to correct behavior when special needs students don’t want to fol- low instructions. To say this is a bus driver issue is a big mistake. Te entire school shares the problem.” Grant Reppert, transportation direc-


tor for Gwinnett County (Ga.) Schools, agrees and echoes the opinion of many of his counterparts that special needs bus drivers themselves have special needs that must be addressed with understanding


and support. He said bus drivers and aides who are not prepared to deal with be- havior situations, tracheotomy tubes and bodily fluid issues don’t last long. “Keeping drivers motivated and focused


usually is a matter of leadership philoso- phy,” says Reppert, who is also Region 2 director for NAPT. “We spend a lot of time talking and listening to drivers. Drivers are human beings and they get frustrated, so it is fairly easy to revert to innate emotion- al reactions in behavioral situations. Te challenge is the ability to listen. Nothing is worse than having a driver raise an issue the supervisor does not understand.” Bus drivers must understand the issues


students with special needs are expe- riencing before they can address them properly. Special needs on the school bus really is a two-way street. School districts are responding to this


tenet by plac-


ing an increased emphasis on bus driver training to help them better understand students with special needs and maintain the quality of service in that area despite constricting budgets and compliance rules that seem to be constantly chang- ing. Transportation officials use available resources to comply with federal laws, but how compliance is accomplished varies from state to state and district to district. Despite the lack of continuity in meth- transportation officials


odology, agree


that open communication is critical. Tis enables drivers and aides to interact better with students and meet their indi- vidual needs. “You must build relationships,” Coun-


trymen advises. “Interact with them, get to know them, provide positive acknowledgements. Drivers


who are


gruff or negatively correct kids will have problems. You must treat special needs students the same as others, especially when they have a physical infirmity and a normal intellect.” Te education of students with special


needs is governed by federal laws meant to ensure they get an education in the least restrictive environment possible. Tese laws include the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Individualized Education Pro- grams (IEPs) are developed for each child to ensure compliance. IEPs address the child’s instructional needs and identify the support needed to achieve those goals. IEPs determine whether bus aides are as- signed and limit the time a child spends in transit. Industry experts say this is when transportation should be involved – be- fore the child gets on the bus. “Absolutely,” says Enrique Boull’t, trans-


portation director for Los Angeles Unified School District. “Te more information the drivers know about the child the better the driver can tend to the child’s needs. We are the first contact with chil- dren and parents in the morning and the last contact in the afternoon. We should be familiar with how to interact appropri- ately with each child with special needs.” Jeff Cassell, president of the Ohio-based


School Bus Safety Company, said the communication and interaction drivers have with children is as important as their communication with supervisors. “Communication is number one,” Cas-


sell says. “Never lean on a wheelchair. Never talk about a child without talking to the child. Use the child’s name. Do not talk


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