THOUGHT LEADER
Linda Bluth, on podium at far left, leads a 2022 general session at TSD Conference, where she calls for the inclusion of alternative transportation at the 17th National Congress on Student Transportation.
Alternative School Transportation: Roadmap for Decision-Making For Children with Disabilities and Special Needs
Written by Linda F. Bluth, Ed.D. T
he first Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs Conference and Trade Show (TSD) was held in 1992. It was originally called the Transporting Students with Disabilities and
Preschoolers National Conference. School Transpor- tation News acquired the TSD Conference in 2012 and has faithfully continued it as the ultimate platform for addressing school transportation topics of importance pertaining to children with disabilities and special needs. Alternative school transportation is one such topic that has received widespread national attention recently. Both the National Association for Pupil Transportation
(NAPT) and the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) have recent- ly written comprehensive industry papers on the topic.
The theme in both these publications is that school-age students should be transported in the yellow school bus to provide the highest level of school transportation safe- ty. While this may not always be achievable or realistic, depending on child-specific circumstances, these associ- ations acknowledge alternative transportation is a feasible option when the yellow bus is not the appropriate option. The annual TSD Conference has traditionally provided a setting for promoting a national dialogue on topics to move forward the agenda of safe school transportation for children with disabilities and special needs. From its inception in 1992, when I was a keynote presenter, I have been involved in advocating for safe transpor- tation for children with disabilities and special needs. Along with several of my peers, promoting meaningful
Find information on the NAPT alternative transportation statement at
stnonline.com/go/lj and the NASDPTS paper, which outlined 17 recomendations at
stnonline.com/go/lk.
54 School Transportation News • OCTOBER 2025
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