STN EXPO Virtual Provides Direction for Navigating COVID-19 Waters and Beyond

The event scheduled for Jan. 25-27 melds inspiration with legal advice and operational know-how for COVID-19 and beyond.

By Ryan Gray

January 12, 2021

From school bus ventilation systems to decisions about requiring employees to take vaccines, school bus driver training during the pandemic to new communication methods, student transportation leaders have a lot on their collective plates.

At the same time, many departments must remain on top of normal operations, or at least prepare for the eventual end to in-person student learning. The STN EXPO Virtual conference covers all these topics and more while also offering insights from industry vendors on how to get the most out of technology and processes.

The three-day event starts on Jan. 25 with “3 Key Opportunities for 2021” from Michael Gould, the chief operating officer for event title sponsor Zonar. He is followed by strategic leadership expert Ryan Avery, who will provide a daily 15-minute dose of motivation to embolden industry professionals to move from fatigued to fulfilled, manager to motivator, and positive to creative.

Author Ross Bernstein takes the keynote stage the afternoon of Jan. 25 to share with attendees what can be learned from champion athletes to achieve success through unorthodox methods.

Breakout sessions focus on technology and innovations, safety, and leadership.

Jan. 26 features a general session presentation by attorneys Katie Anderson and Maria Dwyer of Clark Hill PLC on “The Legalities of School Bus Driver COVID-19 Vaccinations,” with other sessions that day discussing how to use data to plan for pandemic ridership, best practices for a new era of driver training, and building processes and systems through an equity lens.

Kristin Rosenthal, the school bus safety specialist for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, joins Keith Dreiling, the director of school bus safety for the Kansas State Department of Education, for a general session on Jan. 27 that shares data from the latest National School Bus Loading and Unloading Survey with new federal research on the rates and implications of school bus illegal passing.

View the full STN EXPO Virtual agenda

Equity in the workplace is another topic to be discussed. Sean Edmund Rogers, Ph.D., a professor of human resources and labor relations at the University of Delaware and the executive director of Inclusive Excellence, shares the fundamentals of achieving equity in organizations. Ryan Hahn, the owner of Strategic School Consultants, will then apply the equity discussion to building processes and systems in transportation departments.

In addition to the sessions on school bus ventilation systems, new methods of communicating, and training drivers during the pandemic, STN EXPO Virtual also hosts conversations on decision making for technology adoption, providing proactive safety and security training for school bus drivers, choosing electric bus charging infrastructure, implementing seatbelts and seating charts, using data to plan for pandemic ridership, and railroad crossing safety.

Additionally, 20 brands will provide presentations and product showcases throughout the three days as well as meet with attendees during the one-hour daily trade show. Attendees can also access special networking rooms each day as well as brainstorm solutions for COVID-19 funding, fleet optimization, and ensuring post-COVID-19 safety.

Online registration remains open until Jan. 22.