NAPT, Zonar Announce Annual Carnahan School Bus Technology Grant Winners

November 19, 2020

Normally around this time each year, the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) joins commercial fleet management provider Zonar Systems at its annual summit to announce the latest winners of the Don Carnahan Memorial Grant.

But amid COVID-19, NAPT canceled its conference that was scheduled for earlier this month in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The organizations instead turned to email on Thursday to list the seven school districts across six different states that won up to $50,000 each to purchase fleet management hardware as well as student tracking technology.

Eligible applicants must be current NAPT members. This year’s winners are Visalia Unified School District in California, Morgan County School District in Colorado, New Albany Floyd County Schools in Indiana, Laurel Public Schools in Montana, Bloomfield Hills School District and Zeeland Public Schools in Michigan, and Twinsburg City Schools in Ohio.

“We want to ensure busses are equipped with the latest safety technology available to not only keep children safe, but also the passenger vehicles and families school buses share the roads with,” said H. Kevin Mest, senior vice president of passenger services at Zonar, in a statement. “Now more than ever, school districts need resources. We’re excited to be the foundation of their school bus safety and to be able to provide the technology they need to implement new safety best practices in this unprecedented time.”

Named after the late Don Carnahan, who was NAPT’s president and a Zonar vice president when he died of a heart attack on Oct. 3, 2014, the grant program has been in existence for 11 years. Zonar said it has donated over $500,000 during that time to help school districts acquire the company’s Electronic Verified Inspection Reporting, GPS and V4 Telematics units, Zonar tablet solutions, Z Pass real-time student tracking, Ground Traffic Control engine monitoring, and the Zonar Coach dashcam for real-time, in-cab driver coaching.