Conference Connection RECAP
TSD Conference Finds the
Special Needs Heartbeat
WRITTEN BY RYAN GRAY |
RYAN@STNONLINE.COM WITH SEAN GALLAGHER |
SEAN@STNONLINE.COM
I
s it Louie-ville or Lou-ville? Most certainly it’s not Lewis-ville, as a flight attendant announced to passengers during the descent into the Gateway to the South. However you pronounce it, the 25th
Transporting Students with Disabilities & Preschoolers National Conference there attracted 400 attendees from across the nation to receive hands-on training. It came as no surprise that the state with the most attendees was Kentucky, followed by Indiana, Louisville’s immediate neighbor to the north, about a mile away across the Ohio River. But from there, the map expand- ed to as far away as California and to Texas, the site of next year’s event as it returns to Frisco near Dallas, and even Mexico City. Te agenda March 11-16 offered a little bit of every- thing, from the legal opinions and research of Melinda Jacobs, Esq., a member of LRP’s Special Education Attorneys Advisory Council and an expert at IDEA and Section 504 case law, to the recap of important cases and developments in disability transportation and training from Linda F. Bluth, Ed.D, a member of the TSD Ten- ured Faculty from the onset who made her final regular appearance at the conference. Bluth will certainly be missed, as evidenced by the standing ovation she received following her March 15 keynote on “Why the IEP Remains the Heartbeat of IDEA.” She gave a similar presentation 25 years ago during the first TSD Conference and revisited the vital topic for a new generation of special needs transporters to help them understand that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for students with disabilities. “Te IEP is designed for one student and must be individualized,” she imparted. “I hope each of you take away that one thing.” She added that she will concentrate going forward on
presenting at a few state association conferences each year in addition to writing periodic articles for School Trans- portation News magazine. She will also continue to serve
40 School Transportation News • MAY 2016
as on the TSD Tenured Faculty as an emeritus advisor. Bluth also co-presented a session with Jacobs one day earlier following the TSD Trade Show with the session “Perspectives on Special Education Law and Policy.” Speaking to the topic of promoting independence on the school bus, Jacobs said special needs children should be transported alongside their general education peers whenever feasible. “You do things not because you’re required to, but because it’s the best thing to do for the children,” said Jacobs. Along those same lines, Pete Meslin, director of trans-
portation at Newport-Mesa Unified School District in Southern California, presented a session on his new “Bus in the Classroom” program, which utilizes bus drivers and other transportation staff to teach bus safety and
2016 was the final regular TSD Conference for special needs expert Linda F. Bluth, Ed.D.
From left: Third-place Roadeo finishers Cythnia Wright and Robelyn Watson of San Diego Unified School District; Cherie Daniels of Frisco ISD plants a kiss on Chris Yarber of Roadeo sponsor Q’Straint/Sure- Lok as teammate Chris Lowery looks on; second-place finishers Marion Pingel and Sharon Brown of Van Buren ISD in Michigan.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
