Join us for an exciting webinar introducing a groundbreaking approach to improving student experience and reducing behavior incidents on the school bus! This webinar will focus on implementing positive interventions and support strategies used in schools to provide consistency and bridge the gap between the classroom and the ride to school.
We’ll introduce the First Serves program, designed to support students and prepare staff to respond appropriately rather than react to behavior. You’ll learn about the LRE Transportation Model, the critical connection between training and support, and practical strategies to improve transportation experiences for students.
Brought to you by First Student
Register Below:
Presenters:
William McDermott
Head of Student Services
First Student
Will McDermott started his career as a special education teacher in 2002. In 2006, McDermott wrote the program description for and received approval from the Illinois State Board of Education to start Hopewell Career Academy, a non-public special education school located in New Lenox, IL. At the time, Hopewell Career Academy was an innovative approach to alternative education, it was one of the first private therapeutic schools that integrated academic standards, social-emotional learning, and career development for students with emotional disabilities.
During his tenure at Hopewell Career Academy, McDermott also started Bridgepoint Academy, another Illinois State Board of Education approved program that focused on students who have met graduation requirements but needed transition services to successfully meet their IEP transition goals and achieve their post-secondary outcomes. In 2013, while serving as principal of Hopewell Career Academy and Bridgepoint Academy, McDermott saw a need to provide better transportation services for students with disabilities and he co-founded Hopewell Transportation. Hopewell Transportation provided special transportation to students with disabilities by integrating simple research-based interventions on the bus by training, bus drivers and bus attendants, and implementing intervention creating a stronger public and private partnership with transportation companies and school districts.
On November 1, 2019, Hopewell Transportation was acquired by First Student and McDermott continues to happily work there focusing his research and efforts on delivering students to school and back home emotionally ready to engage. McDermott currently is the Chairman of the Board at Connect Academy, a K-8 school he founded that is a true public/private partnership with early intervention and support for students as they reintegration to the Least Restrictive Environment desired outcomes.
Dr. Susan King
Special Education Professor & Consultant
George Washington University & CLP Consulting Group
Dr. Susan King is an experienced special educator, researcher, and professor based in the Washington, D.C area. Prior to obtaining her doctoral degree, Dr. King was a special educator in one of the largest school districts in the Washington, D.C. area. Dr. King has been an assistant professor at Juniata College and faculty member at The George Washington University. Her expertise is in assessment, teacher training, behavior management and working with families of students with special needs. She recently completed post-doctoral education at Harvard University in “Making Change.”
Dr. King has consulted with public and private schools, served as an expert witness in legal cases, and conducted independent educational evaluations. She has served as the Chair of The National Advisory Committee for the HEATH Resource Center, National Clearing House on Post-Secondary Education for Individuals with Disabilities (Washington, D.C.) and currently serves as a member of the FirstServes National Advisory Board (Cincinnati, Ohio) and the Committee of Disabilities Awareness in Baltimore -Washington Conference.
Recent Presentations for Dr. King:
- Operation STEER – Student Transportation Emergency Education and Response. Region 6 Huntsville, TX, Keynote – “Responding to Students When an Unpredictable Situation Arises” March 2024.
- AASA – The School Superintendents Association. February 2024.ISSEA – Illinois State Special Education Administrators Conference. February 2024. CASE – Pittsburgh, PA., November 2023.CEC- Florida, October 2023
Laura Greene-Halley
Senior Director, Safety, Performance and Improvement
First Student
Laura Greene-Halley is a critical member of First Student’s safety leadership and FirstServes teams, and in her current role as Senior Director of Safety Performance and Improvement, she develops and implements ground-breaking innovation, safety strategies, and sustainable plans for over 440 locations across the United States and Canada. She has presented internationally to safety leadership coaches on becoming influential advocates for safety.
As a 2015 National School Transportation Association Golden Merit Award winner, Greene-Halley has been an industry-recognized driving force in student transportation for over 30 years. She has served two consecutive three-year terms on the Advisory Board for School Bus Driver Instructor/Master Instructor with the New York State Education Department (NYSED). She also holds numerous professional certifications including NYSED Master Instructor and Safety Leadership Instructor and Coach certified by Aubrey Daniels International and is Certified in Special Needs Transportation by NAPT.
Greene-Halley is an intentional role model, motivating others to become safety leaders and inspiring them to embrace safety as their core operating value. She is a passionate professional who gains personal fulfillment from ensuring the safety of our students, employees and the general public in our partner communities.
