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NAPT PDS courses available at upcoming events
For NAPT members interested in pursuing career development, certification and recertification, we will be announcing dates and locations of our course offerings throughout the year.
If you wish to receive NAPT credit for PDS course offerings at upcoming events, and an official course completion certificate from NAPT, please click on the specific location you are interested in (below). You'll be taken to a registration page that details all the information you need.
RATSA (Rochester Area Transportation Supervisors Association): Course Web link
SCAPT (South Carolina Association for Pupil Transportation): Course Web link
ASTAC (Alberta Student Transportation Advisory Council): Course Web link
TAA (Transportation Administrators of Arizona): Course Web Link
MAPT (Missouri Association for Pupil Transportation): Course Web Link
The NAPT Professional Development Series is the industry's only comprehensive training program designed exclusively for school transportation professionals; offering nearly 40 different courses for the classroom and many are now available online.
Visit our website: NAPT PDS page.
Vendor Spotlight: On the spot? Come to the spotlight
Business Partners are special members of NAPT. They provide expertise, products and services to the pupil transportation industry, helping to maintain and improve the safety and efficiency of operations and processes. Knowing who to call when you're on the spot is important.
To help you find solutions, we highlight our business partners in a scrolling logo format on the NAPT homepage every two weeks. Just click on the company logo to find out more.
Featured in our "Business Partner in the Spotlight" section are: Child Check-Mate System Inc., InterClean Equipment, Inc., REI, SMI, S3/SynTec Seating Solutions, and Transfinder. Their logos will be posted for the next few weeks, so please take a moment to become familiar with the products and services they offer.
Child Check-Mate System Inc. (www.childcheckmate.com) is a Canadian School Bus Safety Company that has developed and patented an electronic alarm system to remind drivers that all students have disembarked the vehicle.
InterClean Equipment, Inc. (www.interclean.com) provides standard vehicle cleaning systems to fit specific applications. The systems are engineered to handle a variety of vehicle cleaning problems.
REI (www.radioeng.com) designs, manufactures and services BUS-WATCH mobile video surveillance systems, GPS/AVL tracking solutions, audio/video passenger entertainment systems and camera observation systems.
SMI (www.smiglobal.net) designs and produces safety and interior solutions at competitive prices for the transportation industry.
S3/SynTec Seating Solutions (www.syntecseating.com) is a large U.S. provider of school bus seats, having manufactured in excess of 2 million school bus seats.
Transfinder (www.transfinder.com) is a national provider of student transportation management systems and services, offering routing and scheduling solutions for optimal transportation logistics.
2013 Student Safety Report reveals dangerous gap between what students know and school administrators don't
Awareity
Thirty-seven percent of students say they are aware of an individual who poses a risk to their school, according to Awareity's 2013 Student Safety Report. Students see and hear about things most school administrators don't. Students are talking about concerning behaviors (hurting others, self-harm/cutting themselves, suicidal ideations, bringing weapons to school, drugs/alcohol and other risks) among themselves, but unfortunately this information is not being collected and shared with the right people in the right place at the right time so they can do the right things.
Nearly 4,500 students from school districts across the US and Canada participated in online surveys strategically designed to gather current data on school climate and student safety challenges ... and the results may shock you! Based on overwhelming evidence and lessons learned from recent school safety incidents and tragedies, the potential disconnects between students and school administrators can be very dangerous.
Click here to download the Student Survey Report and get the data and validations you need to take immediate action or share with your School Board to show why immediate action must be taken.
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PETA sues San Diego airport for rejecting anti-SeaWorld ad
UT San Diego
PETA recently announced it is suing the San Diego International Airport after its advertising vendor chose not to accept $17,500 for an ad urging tourists to stay clear of SeaWorld. The amusement park has been caught in controversy since last year's release of the movie "Blackfish" focused opposition on killer whale captivity.
Comic strips draw attention in US, save lives
Voice of America
Every day in the United States, a dozen pedestrians, on average, are struck and killed by cars. Many fatalities happen at busy intersections, or when pedestrians don't use marked crosswalks or drivers ignore traffic signals. Local officials across the country have tried many approaches to improve safety. The Washington suburb of Montgomery County, Maryland, has launched a series of street safety awareness campaigns. As VOA's Faiza Elmasry reports in the following, the latest of these campaigns is graphic — using the storytelling power of comic strips.
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To find out how to feature your company in the NAPT News Brief and other advertising opportunities, Contact Geoffrey Forneret at 469-420-2629.
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Rear cameras on cars more effective than parking sensors
The Detroit News
A new study finds rear cameras are more effective than parking sensors at helping drivers avoid objects while traveling in reverse and can reduce blind spots by about 90 percent. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an industry-funded group that prods automakers to build safer cars, said the rear cameras don't help in every situation. The Obama administration has repeatedly delayed rules to mandate the cameras in all future vehicles.
Preventing gun violence in schools
By Mark Bond
 Gun violence is a major social issue in America, and schools and university campuses have become targets of this gun violence. In recent years, dozens of students, faculty and staff have become victims of this gun violence while on campus, and the loss of life and serious injuries have been devastating to our communities. In response to recent campus violence, an idea to have schools adopt an armed security force to patrol campus grounds and buildings has been proposed to lawmakers, law enforcement and educational governing boards. The following evaluates this controversial proposal and analyzes the evidence to determine the benefits and concerns.
Deborah Hersman stepping down as head Of NTSB
NPR
Deborah Hersman, known to many Americans because she's the face of the National Transportation Safety Board at the scene of plane crashes and other transportation-related disasters, is stepping down as head of the NTSB. Chairman of the NTSB since 2009 and a member of its board since 2004, she is departing in late April to be president and CEO of the National Safety Council, a nonprofit group chartered by Congress and based in Itasca, Ill. The council describes its mission as "partnering with businesses, government agencies, elected officials and the public in areas that can make the most impact – distracted driving, teen driving, workplace safety, prescription drug overdoses and Safe Communities."
Homeland Security conducts unannounced school lockdown drill
Infowars
The Department of Homeland Security is expanding its operations by running unannounced school lockdown drills, another sign of the federal agency's encroachment into more areas of Americans' lives. "On Thursday, March 6, a team comprised of ten officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, and the N.J. Department of Education's Safety and Security Task Forces visited Glen Ridge High School to conduct an unannounced school lock-down drill," reports Georgette Gilmore.
Mamaroneck moves school-bus discussion to April 8
The Journal News
The Board of Education now plans to give a final reading to a new busing policy that affects some non-public-school students April 8, three weeks later than it first planned. An advocacy group protesting the proposal, which would put some of their children on public transportation instead of school buses, considered the change a victory because it keeps open discussion on the issue. They want the district to withdraw the plan, and they intend to appear at the later meeting to argue their point, a spokesman said.
Missed last week's issue? See which articles your colleagues read most.
Should high school start later? Research says grades go up, accidents go down
MLive
Research from the University of Minnesota says those bleary eyes in high schools across the country may have their roots in physiology, not late-night XBox sessions. A study of 9,000 high school students in Minnesota, Colorado and Wyoming found that when classes begin at 8:30 a.m. or later, teens have higher grades and better attendance rates — and the number of car crashes involving teen drivers dropped by 70 percent. By delaying start times to 8:35 or later, more than half of students are able to sleep eight hours or more, researchers concluded, which leads to better outcomes.
Wyoming troopers jump on school buses to catch traffic offenders
KXLF-TV
The Wyoming Highway Patrol recently placed state troopers on several school buses looking for scofflaws who pass the buses while loading or unloading children. "Fortunately, we didn't catch anyone on this ride-along," said WHP Lt. Tom Adams of Lander. "We'll be doing these ride-alongs periodically, unannounced and at various locations. It is a state law to stop for a school bus displaying flashing lights."
FMCSA again proposes to mandate electronic logs
Fleet Owner Magazine
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently announced a new proposal on electronic logging devices that would mandate ELDs for drivers currently required to prepare hours-of-service records of duty status and establish the minimum performance and design standards. The White House Office of Management and Budget cleared the proposal on March 11 after a review of about seven months.
Lack of garage space threatens school bus safety
News-Record
Guilford County Schools lacks enough garage space to consistently maintain its bus fleet within state guidelines. That's been true for decades. But North Carolina inspectors have pointed out the problem in the district's last three annual inspection reports. Records show that over the past seven years, Guilford has struggled with preventative bus maintenance, such as ensuring that brakes work properly and inspecting hoses, belts and other engine parts. This year, Guilford temporarily stopped running about a third of the buses inspected by the state because of safety concerns.
Transporting Children With Disabilities, 4th Edition,
by Dr. Linda F. Bluth, is available for purchase. NAPT members may purchase the Handbook for $14.99, plus shipping. The nonmember rate is $24.99, plus shipping.
Transporting Children With Disabilities, 4th Edition contains useful definitions of transportation and related special education terms as well as characteristics of children with special needs and special considerations for transporting children with special needs. This popular publication also explains the legal basis for special needs transportation in accordance with the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 and contains information about new Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act regulations.
To order your copy, please email NAPT Member Services Specialist, Brianne Peck at Brianne.Peck@napt.org today! To learn more about the new NAPT Special Needs Training program click here.
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