There are thousands of products and technologies designed to help school district administrators and transportation directors perform their jobs better, whether that means improving safety or increasing efficiency. To aid in their decision-making, District Administration magazine asks readers to vote and then publishes their top picks in the December issue. Several products geared toward student transportation made the Readers’ Choice Top 100 Products of 2014, including the “Steffi Crosser” glove created by New York bus driver Victoria DeCarlo three years ago.
“Bus drivers wear this product over their hands to let students know when it’s safe to cross the street in front of the bus. Designed by a professional school bus driver, the STEFFI Crossing Enhancer is bright yellow with a reflective arrow through the center, increasing visibility through window reflection and sun glare,” the publication states in its description of the winning product.
DeCarlo told STN that this was the first time her reflective mitt made the Top 100 list.
“I was completely humbled, shocked and I actually cried. I got an email about it, looked at it and went: Is this a joke? I couldn’t believe it — it was just awesome!” she said.
DeCarlo has driven a yellow bus for Lake Shore CSD in Angola, N.Y., near the eastern shore of Lake Erie, for the past 20 years. She invented the “Steffi” in order to protect schoolchildren crossing the road during loading and unloading. The need for a bright, reflective glove arose after she realized her students had difficulty seeing her hand motions through her windshield at a treacherous three-way intersection.
Today, the Steffi is being used in school districts all over the country, in every state except two, said DeCarlo, who travels the industry trade show circuit to promote the safety glove.
“When I go to trade shows and talk to transportation directors, sometimes they say they aren’t allowed to cross their students. I think the Transportation Department is a full-service department. If you stop the bus and put your (flashing amber lights) on for students to cross, then I think they need assistance crossing,” added DeCarlo.
She spreads her message by training other bus garages and recently launched a new Facebook page called “From the Bus Driver’s Seat.” She said she hopes the page can serve as a forum for drivers to discuss everything from safety issues to lessons learned and humorous on-the-job anecdotes.
Other school transportation–related products made District Administration‘s Top 100 Products list as well, most notably TransTraks maintenance software by Perseus Associates. TransTraks allows student transporters to track work orders, bus parts inventory and invoices. The student database and field/athletic trip module helps keep track of students and buses.
All winning products were selected by an editorial board that narrowed down the nominees based on not only the quantity but also the quality of the nominations. District Administration is read by more than 120,000 top educational administrators, superintendents, assistant superintendents, curriculum directors, business officers, IT directors, and federal fund administrators, according to the company.
