SPECIAL REPORT Te grant, Sheffel said, funds a full-time transportation spe-
cialist whose sole job is to provide individualized transportation assistance to homeless children to remain in their schools of origin. Tis staff person has experience with area-wide trans- portation technical reporting duties, utilization of available computer technology applications, and knowledge of the FCPS transportation system. Te job entails reviewing the specific needs of the family and
then finding the most appropriate method of assistance for the student. Review of school bus route planning and alternatives to bus transportation are explored for each request, and the arrangements are made. If there is no school busing available, alternative types of assistance are provided. Te transportation staff person is also responsible for communicating with the par- ent, the agency serving the parent and the school in order to ensure the safety of the children and seamless transportation to school with minimal disruption caused by family homelessness. In addition, the attendance records of transported students are tracked and reviewed in order to assess the benefits of this spe- cial transportation effort. “Te grant awarded to FCPS will improve student achieve-
ment by reducing school absences due to transportation delays and confusion resulting from communication problems. Unac- companied homeless youth will be able to have transportation assistance to school as well as to after-school jobs and activities, which previously was unattainable for some,” Sheffel also said. So far, the new position is a success, she added. “We have seen an increased ability to arrange transportation
requests with a short turn-around period, and have decreased the waiting time for arrangements to be completed.” Tanks to this individualized attention, better communica-
tions between parents and schools have greatly reduced any confusion about how the student is being transported to school, and has increased school attendance for homeless chil- dren, Sheffel also reported.
OJIBWA INDIAN SCHOOL, TURTLE MOUNTAIN INDIAN RESERVATION, BELCOURT, N.D.
What was approved for funding: New school bus garage
ARRA funding was received through: Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs
Ojibwa has just 255 students, but 95 percent of them are
transported to school on a fleet of six buses, explained Principal Mike Blue. Te students and staff moved into a new school building in Au-
gust of 2008. Te construction project originally included a bus garage; however, due to a number of reasons, they were not able to get the bus garage constructed, explained Blue. “Te Office of Facility Management (OFMC) through the fed-
eral government, out of the Albuquerque office was the funding agent for our new school construction project. When the ARRA funds were originally discussed we (the school staff) came up
30 School Transportation News Magazine January 2010
with a list of items that we would request as part of the OFMC stimulus package request. We had 25 items and prioritized them 1 through 25. Te bus garage was our number one priority. Te package was submitted, and, some time later, we heard that our number one priority item was approved,” he continued. Blue said he expects construction to begin this spring.
RUTHERFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS, MURFREESBORO, TENN.
What was approved for funding: New security cameras on 30 buses for students with special needs
ARRA funding was received through: Department of Education; IDEA, Part B Recently, the district equipped all of its big buses with a
three-camera, digital system from AngelTrax. Although each of the 30 smaller buses include an aide, at the time, the district was unable to equip these buses used for transporting spe- cial needs students because of the costs involved. Te district transports approximately 492 students who receive special transportation services, which makes up about 14 percent of the total school population. “We put equipping the smaller buses on the back burner until
we could afford to add cameras,” said James Evans, the commu- nity relations coordinator for the district. When the stimulus money was announced, IDEA, Part B funds
were authorized for one-time special education needs, and that’s when the district took the opportunity to spend a portion of the stimulus funds to equip the smaller buses with the camera system, explained Evans. Te cameras were installed and paid for last September and
October. BIBB COUNTY SCHOOLS, BIBB COUNTY, GA.
What was approved for funding: 22 special needs school bus monitor jobs were saved, and $70,000 was used to install security cameras on special needs school buses
ARRA funding was received through: Department of Education; IDEA, Part B
According to officials from Bibb County Schools, there are
approximately 375 special needs students who require special transportation arrangements. Tese students are served by a sep- arate fleet that includes monitors and special safety equipment. A large percentage of special needs students can still utilize the
same transportation as the general education students. Tis brings the total ridership of the district’s special needs students to ap- proximately 2,000 between both fleets. Te funding provided for the monitors is helping preserve ex-
isting positions and convert temporary positions to a permanent status. Te technology purchased is intended to enhance the safety and atmosphere for the students, and allows the staff to evaluate the behavior of the student while on the bus. n
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