continue to attend their schools of origin and have access to all other appropriate services to help them achieve in school. It surprised me to learn that the 2005 edition of the “Na-
tional School Transportation Specifications and Procedures” did not reference the McKinney-Vento Act’s transportation requirements. It did not surprise me to learn that NAEHCY wanted the 15th National Congress on School Transporta- tion to include them when it revised the document this May in Warrensburg, Mo. NAEHCY believes that “adding pupil transportation guidelines for students experiencing home- lessness could be a powerful tool in raising awareness and improving state and local implementation.” It seems to me this is not only logical, it is long overdue. Te Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), amended in 2004, specifi- cally addresses the McKinney-Vento definition of “homeless children and youth.” Te purpose of including special edu- cation and related services is to prepare homeless students with disabilities for further education, employment and in- dependent living. Te McKinney-Vento Act and IDEA both mandate protections and services for children and youth who are homeless and children and youth with disabilities. Within the McKinney-Vento provisions the word “trans-
portation” is mentioned a total of 14 times. Tese 14 references in the Act are not what fully assure appropriate transportation services. When all is said and done, it is the personal commitment to find the necessary financial re- sources and a strong willingness to problem solve that results in best practices and transportation service for this vulner- able and growing population. NAEHCY tips its cap to Allan Jones, pupil transportation di-
rector of Washington state, for his efforts to make it aware of the opportunity to participate in the NCST this year. Melinda Dyer, Washington’s state coordinator for homeless education, writes, “Allan can always be trusted to deliver the right message at the right time and in the right way. Time and again, he has demonstrated his commitment to serving our most vulnerable students, and he consistently does so with patience, humor, and a calm demeanor.” I, too, commend Allan Jones for being an advocate for
homeless students, especially when most other people that consider themselves advocates for these children would probably step back rather than step up. I encourage every- one in our industry to follow his lead. Now is the time to re-examine current resources and discuss unique options for problem solving. One excellent resource provided by NAE- HCY is titled “Transportation for Homeless Children and Youth: Strategies for Rural School Districts.” Tis is a good starting point. Research themes over a decade provide plen- ty of reasons for transportation to take an advocacy role. It is common knowledge among educators that homeless stu- dents present society with one of the most vulnerable school age populations. n
Bluth is the president of the National Association for Pupil Transportation.
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