any time, the evacuation plan for that route needs to be re-evaluated and updated. Kennington said the main thing is paying
particular attention to the student ridership. “Especially special needs, for which we dom- inantly provide these trainings and drills.” Tis is why practicing as many times
throughout the school year is so vital. Reg- ularly conducting a drill will reinforce the training and sequence of events taught to all participants. For students with special needs, stu-
dent transporters should work with the IEP team to ensure the school bus en- vironment is customized to meet their needs just as in the classroom, noted Sue Shutrump, supervisor of occupational therapy services for the Trumbull County Education Service Center in Ohio. For physically challenged students, she
said involving people in the planning phase who truly know their needs, such as a physical or occupational therapist, will help determine their ability to quickly and safely exit a bus. Shutrump emphasized
that students bound to a wheelchair, in most cases, can be either lifted or dragged out of their chair in emergency situations per evacuation instructions in their Indi- vidualized Transportation Plan. “Tere are many times when transport-
ers will talk about evacuating a child in a wheelchair and that is not appropriate,” said Shutrump, and added it might also not be realistic. “Drivers need to realize that most of these students aren’t so frag- ile. Maybe they’ll come out of the bus with a minor broken bone, but it’s a heck of a lot of better than them not getting out.” Youth with special needs may not physi-
cally participate in these evacuation drills, but young children certainly can. Wolf said how well children interact during these drills can also determine its success. John Williams, transportation coordina-
tor at E Center Head Start in Marysville, Calif., conducts monthly bus evacuation drills that include all of the center’s chil- dren, aged 3 to 5. Tey are all treated as special needs because of their door-to-
door busing and because they are secured with integrated safety restraints on the bus. One drill for one school bus route takes about half an hour. He said the children enjoy the drills as
they get a chance to do something oth- er than their normal classroom routine. Tey also at times turn the drill into a fun, friendly competition that doesn’t disrupt the practice. “Te [kids] get attached with bus per-
sonnel [though] they only spend a short amount of time with them during the day,” he said. In the end, the bus driver is the ringlead-
er when an actual event occurs resulting in an emergency bus evacuation. Regardless of their driving experience, these drills em- power them to remember and rely on their training when their minds go blank and their adrenaline kicks in. “Tat’s another good reason to actu-
ally physically go through the steps of the evacuation,” said Shutrump. “It’s confi- dence building.” ■
Providing your climate.
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www.spheros.us www.stnonline.com 27
NAPT 2012, Memphis, TN October 23-24 booth No. 123
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