The relationship of school bus drivers and district public relations will be one of more than a dozen courses taught at the beginning of summer by the Kansas State Pupil Transportation Association and the Kansas State Department of Education's School Bus Safety Unit.

The "Train the School Bus Driver Trainer Course" is scheduled for June 20 through 23 in Salina, Kan. A representative of the Department of Education's School Bus Safety Unit the course will promote uniform training for school bus drivers. Attendees will receive a training guide including lesson plans and sample safety programs, including a USB flash drive to help update the information to include local district policies.

Attendees will participate in 13 classroom workshops as well as behind-the-wheel training. The courses are: How To Be An Effective Speaker; The School Bus Driver and Public Relations; Kansas Regulations and Mandates; Kansas CDL Requirements and Preparation; New Driver Orientation; Pre-Trip and Post-Trip Inspections; Knowing Your Bus; Reference Point Driving; Danger Zones, Loading and Unloading; Student Management; Emergency Procedures; Railroad Crossing and; Record Keeping Requirements.

The training costs $250 per person. Class size is limited; however, KSPTA said the event would be canceled by June 3 if not enough people were registered. For more information, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .