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‘Change Is the Only Constant’: New Technology, Training Facilitates Back-to-School Preparations
By Michelle Fisher Summer passes quickly for student transportation directors
who have staff to hire, training sessions to schedule and bus fleets to upgrade before the new school year. Nicole Portee, executive director of transportation at Denver
Public Schools (DPS), said this year her employees are receiving a full week of training instead of one or two days. Besides class- room instruction, drivers and paraprofessionals obtain hands-on training at individual stations where they run through various scenarios, from evacuation to wheelchair tie-down to managing misbehavior. “We’ve invited several internal departments, like student ser-
vices, to hit on areas such as de-escalation techniques,” Portee said. “Looking at all the headlines about bullying, we feel like we need to step up training for employees and give them the right tools.” Linda Farbry, director of transportation at Fairfax County (Va.)
Public Schools, also expanded the driver training program there to offer video modules about handling student misbehaviors and disabilities. “Our training shifted from four weeks to five as we emphasized
cross training between different-size buses and different types of runs,” said Farbry, who oversees more than 1,200 drivers. Linda Tompson, transportation director at Lee’s Summit
(Mo.) School District, noted that having on-board cameras helps to minimize behavior problems, especially now that each bus carries about 65 students. “We are very fortunate to have a good relationship with the
technology department, which in late May sends me the down- load of the 18,000 kids in the district, so we can input that information into the Transfinder routing system. We had it all
Technological Advances on the
Traditional Yellow Bus Today’s school buses are engineered for optimal perfor-
mance, with technology and features designed to make the safest ride in town even safer, including: • High-definition GPS systems providing buses’ exact lo-
cation and speed at any time; • Flashing lights and extended stop arms that warn mo-
torists when children are loading or unloading; • Child Check-Mate, an on-board electronic reminder sys-
tem to help ensure students are not left behind; and • Well-anchored seats with high backs and heavy pad-
ding as well as specialized car seats and restraint systems on smaller buses. Source: First Student Inc.
22 School Transportation News Magazine September 2012
Denver Public Schools’ innovative Success Express shuttles work somewhat like fixed-route city buses, offering northeast-area students three opportunities to catch a ride.
set by the first of July, except for the new kids,” she said. “Our teamwork is kind of like spokes on a wheel — everyone has spe- cific tasks and then we come together a couple of weeks before school and everything is in good shape.” Tompson recently added Transfinder’s newest offering, the
Infofinder app, so families can locate the nearest bus stop with a simple click of the keyboard. Even though technology has streamlined the routing process, Far-
bry pointed out that special-needs routes present special challenges. “We use Trapeze software that links with our student informa-
tion system to account for all general population students. Our special program students — special education, contract place- ments, homeless, administratively placed and alternative school placements — are far more difficult,” she explained. Transportation Director Frank Giordano of the Clark County
(Nev.) School District agreed that coordinating special needs transportation involves unique challenges because of the “con- stant” changes, including address changes, program changes and new students. When preparing for a new school year, his top priorities are ensuring that all routing is correct and in-service driver training goes smoothly. Like Farbry, he relies on the latest computer technology to stay organized. “We’ve had databases for years, but what’s new is we are work-
ing together because each unit — Case Management, Student Information Services, Early Childhood, etc. — houses its own in- dependent database,” said Giordano, who last month was named the 2013 STN EXPO co-chair. “We’re linking them to tie in all in- formation that comes to transportation through the district. Te databases are now live, so there’s no delay when an update is made.” All of his school buses have GPS and about 40 percent have
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