“You want to make sure that when you see Diastat (as pre-


scribed) that it is really a rescue drug for that child,” Kessler warned. “I know health services has talked to the doctor to make sure this is a truly a rescue drug and when it must be administered.” Tis can be problematic in the confined areas of the bus.


Shutrump said another major concern with symptom monitoring in the school bus is how difficult it can be to see over the high-backed, padded compartmentalized seating. Aides or paraprofessionals are also almost always required to sit directly next to the student and to maintain frequent eye contact so physical symptoms do not go undetected. Further complicating matters are seats that are typically spaced 17 inches apart and the accompanying privacy issues. “Even when using a blanket or drape, it is difficult to maintain


privacy and shield the student from others,” Shutrump said. “For all these reasons, in the past parents often opted for Diastat to be administered in the classroom/school environment only, and for 911 to be called on the bus in the event of a seizure. Tis trend seems to be changing; however, with more parents feeling it neces- sary to overcome the obstacles to provide the benefits of Diastat, especially in light of their perception that there is no downside.” Another panelist, Cheryl Wolf, a special needs expert and for-


mer school district trainer in Indiana, added that closely spaced, 39-inch seats can also be problematic when trying to provide student privacy. She suggested a possible solution: wheelchair lift-equipped buses might provide an adequate, open space to-


ward the rear of the bus that is large enough to throw down a blanket for the student to lie on. But the issue remains on how to position the student for the administration. “Te school bus is not really conducive to medical treatments,”


she added. Bull said these questions prompted a new proposed guideline


from the AAP. Its guideline draft, expected to be released this spring, highlights the challenges of prescribing Diastat on school buses. She said the final guidelines will address when Diastat should be used, its overall safety and the option of alternative medicine. Te latter includes the use of Versed, which is less ex- pensive than Diastat and is administered nasally. “Doctors don’t always think through all of the ramifications,”


Bull said. “An alternate choice of action can be possible.” Still, Peggy Burns, owner of Education Compliance Group and


former in-house council for Adams 12 Five Star Schools near Denver, said student transporters cannot wait until definitive, final guidelines are published, which could take another two to three years. Te industry must act now. “It isn’t simple, which is not to say that the answer is going


to be, ‘Well, we’re just not going to do it.’ Tat answer is not an effective one, even when state laws says certain classes of em- ployees are not to do this,” she concluded. “We need an effective message on responsibility to provide education to students, and we must be very careful and sensitive to this issue.” ■


STN Media Group Acquires National Conference Te 2013 Transporting Students with


Disabilities & Preschoolers National Conference (TSD) will pack a familiar punch of hands-on special education and transportation curriculum, but will be produced under new management. STN Media Group, the parent company


of School Transportation News, made its announcement a day before this year’s show in Orlando, Fla., that it acquired the event


from Edupro Group Owner and


conference organizer Roseann Schwaderer. Te location for next year’s show had yet to be determined at this writing. “We are extremely pleased to have


earned the trust and confidence of Rose- ann Schwaderer to continue the tradition of training and educating transporters of students with special needs that she and this conference have pioneered for more than two decades,” said Bill Paul, founder of School Transportation News and chairman of the board for STN Media. “Te synergy between this conference and the


STN North American School Bus EXPO Conference and Trade Show (STN EXPO) offer exciting opportunities. We look for- ward to a future that will benefit the entire student transportation industry.” Te transfer of ownership to STN Media


from Edupro Group took effect at the end of this year’s conference, but Schwaderer will remain a consultant and conference chair through the end of 2013. “I’m enthusiastic about this opportunity


to work with STN to strengthen the mis- sion of the National Conference, which has always been to look first at the wide- ranging and vital information needs of the pupil transportation community, and to task the experts in the field with providing workable answers and practical solutions for transportation professionals, school thera- pists, and special needs personnel,” added Schwaderer. “It’s real meat and potatoes for a community hungry for ways to do a better, safer, more efficient and more professional job for students with special needs.”


Roseann Schwaderer addresses TSD attendees on the sale of the conference to STN Media in March.


Attendees take in a session during TSD in Orlando, Fla.


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