The primary difficulty lies in integrating these changes into existing routes without disrupting service for other students, Dotson noted. This requires close collaboration with school administrators, clear communication with families and flexi- bility from drivers and monitors. “In some cases, these new programs also require additional staffing or vehicles, which can be challenging to secure during the high-demand start-up period” he said. “While they bring valuable opportunities for students, they also demand careful planning to ensure that transportation remains safe, efficient and reliable for everyone.” Occasionally, transportation officials may be charged with
responding to unusual situations such as the recent focus on the immigration status of some families. The Trump admin- istration has emphasized stricter enforcement of immigration laws, including policies on deportation and border security. This has trickled down to affecting school-age children. For Los Angeles Unified School District, this has meant revising transportation practices to make sending children to school less problematic in communities with large numbers of immi- grant families. “Immigration-related activity has created fear among many
of our families,” said Daniel Kang, LAUSD’s director of trans- portation. “Some expressed concerns about leaving their homes or sending their children to school.” Recognizing this need, the district implemented a new process
for “non-routine” and “safe passage” requests. Families were able to contact their school site administrators to request additional support, requests were systematically processed and then trans- portation staff arranged for students to be picked up directly from their homes. “This approach provided families with reassurance and helped maintain consistent student attendance during a very difficult time,” Kang noted. In the process, some lessons were learned about ridership
capacity, as adding a new service to pick up these students stretched existing bus routes. In some instances, it became necessary to reassign supervisors to assist with driving and routing. “While the system worked, it highlighted the need for addi-
tional long-term planning, since the demand may continue in both an intermittent and ongoing way,” Kang said.
Handling Tech Upgrades At Indiana’s Fort Wayne Community Schools, a combination
of measures has brought needed improvements, but tackling them concurrently has not been without challenges, noted Ro- shanda Armstrong, the district’s director of transportation. As school got under way in early August, she found her- self managing a technology overhaul involving not only an upgrade of routing software but also a new GPS provider, a new payroll provider, and integration of the RFID system. The combination wasn’t made easier by the fact that this is her first
Tips for a Smooth Start-Up
Todd Silverthorn, transportation supervisor for Ohio’s Kettering City Schools, offers these tips for a smooth start-up.
1. Build flexibility into your route planning—especial- ly for special education, McKinney-Vento, and ESSA students—because address changes and cross-district transportation needs can come up with little notice.
2. Have a staffing contingency plan in place, whether that’s partnering with contracted providers, maintaining a small pool of substitutes or getting creative with recruitment to stay ahead of retirements or shortages.
3. Develop strong relationships with local municipalities and county agencies to get advance notice of road work. Also have quick-commu- nication systems ready for unexpected closures or traffic incidents so drivers can adapt on the fly.
4. Don’t underestimate the value of conversations with neigh- boring transportation leaders. Sharing resources, ideas and solutions can help you trou- bleshoot challenges faster and strengthen your overall operations.
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