School bus driver training is well recognized as a crucial part of safe student transportation, but it’s equally important to make sure attendants are fully equipped for their role, especially when working with students with special needs or disabilities. New training at the Transporting Students with Disabilities and Special Needs (TSD) Conference will dive into this important aspect of student transportation.
Launi Harden, a former transportation director at Washington County School District in Utah and now consultant at Launi’s Transportation Solutions, will lead this session alongside Josy Campbell, operations manager at Harrison Schools District Two in Colorado. During this three-hour training on Monday, Nov. 10 at the TSD Conference, Harden and Campbell will provide an overview of the importance of attendants in safe student transportation and guidelines to ensure they receive adequate training for their role.
The session will help guide attendees through crucial aspects that should be covered in attendant training, such as safety best practices, federal regulations and policies, emergency procedures, proper usage of safety restraints and securement of wheelchairs, behavioral reinforcement, sensitivity training, effective communication, an introduction to Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), boarding and deboarding techniques, pre-trip checks, and more. Throughout the interactive session, attendees will have a chance to ask questions from the expert speakers and discuss practices with student transportation professionals from districts around the country.
This session will follow other integral educational sessions throughout the conference such as “Foundations of Special Needs Transportation,” “Understanding & Appreciating the ‘Federal 13’ Exceptional Abilities of Students,” “Top 10 Occupant Restraint Concerns When Transporting Preschoolers & Students with Disabilities,” “Teaching Bus Safety to Students with Disabilities: Strategies Across Ages and Abilities,” “Safe Transportation of Students with Sensory Challenges,” “Utilizing Educational Ecosystem Partnerships to Model Onboard Behavior for Students,” as well as hands-on training for wheelchair and passenger safety securement. Together, these sessions will provide attendees with a holistic and practical approach to improving best practices in the transportation of students with special needs and disabilities.
The TSD Conference will be held Nov. 6 through Nov. 11 at Embassy Suites Dallas-Frisco Hotel and Convention Center. Visit tsdconference.com to register and view the conference agenda, which includes dozens of educational sessions, hands-on training, networking events, product demonstrations and keynotes all focused on transportation of students with special needs.
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