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.NAPT MEMBER NEWS
Join NTSB Vice Chair Bruce Landsberg Online Next Week
NAPT
Bruce Landsberg joined the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in 2018 with a substantial background in general aviation safety, having served in the U.S. Air Force and subsequently working with Cessna Aircraft, Flight Safety International, and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
School buses were not on his radar, so to speak.
But preparing for a keynote at the 2019 NAPT Annual Conference in Columbus, OH changed all that. Now, he's a full-fledged school bus safety advocate
When he was reappointed Vice Chair of the Board earlier this year, Landsberg said, "We're working toward the goal of zero deaths in transportation, and until we can achieve that goal, we’re working to reduce the number of deaths and injuries that happen every year in every mode of transportation."
That's music to our ears.
Join us on Wednesday, November 11, 2020 at 1PM ET to take a deeper dive into Vice Chairman Landsberg's views on reducing driving distractions and speed-related highway crashes, reliable automation in vehicles, and automated enforcement on highways as well as the Board’s efforts to streamline NTSB's accident reporting, which has been particularly challenging during a pandemic.
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Numerous Candidates Nominated to Participate in NAPT Region 4 Election
NAPT
Derrick Agate, Sr., Supervisor of Transportation for the Hopkins (MN) Public Schools; Sandra "Sandy" Dillman, an Operations Manager for the Transpar Group of Companies; Keith Kaup, CDPT, Director of Transportation for the Pearland (TX) ISD; and Rosalyn Vann-Jackson, CDPT, Executive Director of Enrollment and Support Services for the Broken Arrow (OK) Public Schools have all been nominated to participate in the upcoming election in NAPT Region 4.
Agate was nominated by Lance Libengood, President of the Center for Effective School Operations in Minneapolis, MN; Troy Schreifels, Director of Facilities, Transportation, & Risk Management for the Osseo (MN) Area Schools; and Tom Burr, Transportation Director for the Saint Paul (MN) Public Schools.
Dillman was nominated by Cody Cox, Director of Transportation & Maintenance for the Community I.S.D. in Nevada, TX; Patricia Almaraz, Director of Transportation for the Channelview (TX) ISD; and Lloyd Givens, Fleet Maintenance Manager for the Special School District of St Louis (MO) County.
Kaup was nominated by Kayne M. Smith, Ed.D., Director of Transportation Services for the Cypress-Fairbanks (TX) ISD; Marisa Weisinger, CTPTO, Executive Secretary of the Texas Association for Pupil Transportation; Willie A Tarleton, Director of Transportation for the Midland (TX) ISD; and Keith Henry, CDPT, Director of Transportation for Lee’s Summit (MO) R-7 School District/Executive Director of the Missouri Association for Pupil Transportation.
Vann-Jackson was nominated by Jonathan Shelden, Director of Transportation for the Springfield (MO) Public Schools and Tammy Kifer, Customer Service Supervisor in the Transportation Department of the Tulsa (OK) Public Schools.
The Region 4 election will be held on November 17, 2020. All eligible voters in NAPT Region 4 will receive via email a personalized link to vote in the online election.
In NAPT Region 2, Teena Mitchell, CDPT, CSNT, Special Needs Transportation Coordinator for the Greenville (SC) County Schools was nominated for re-election by Melanie MacDonald, Area 11 Special Needs Transportation Supervisor for the Greenville (SC) County Schools and Cathy Poole, Area 8 Special Needs Transportation Supervisor for the Greenville (SC) County Schools. Since Mitchell is running unopposed in the Region 2 election, she will retain her seat for another 3-year term. Congratulations, Teena!
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The Safety Vision IR Thermometer is used to measure passengers’ temperature quickly and easily as they board the bus or enter the building. Scanning any part of the face or hand, temperature readings are displayed on the LED screen, in addition to an audible voice that states if the person’s temperature is within range.
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School Reopening Snapshot: Slight Increase in Virtual Learning Between Now and January?
NAPT
Two weeks ago, we shared with you this awesome School Opening Tracker- Map, created by our friends at Burbio, a digital information company that actively monitors districts representing over 35,000 schools, including the 200 largest school districts in the US.
Last week, they forecast in person openings were going to slow considerably and they were right. Now, they say they’re seeing their first indications that district closures may result in a slight increase in virtual learning between now and January.
Burbio President Dennis Roche was kind enough to share some of their data with us again this week (THANK YOU, Dennis!):
A Snapshot:
- % of US K-12 Students attending 'Virtual only" schools = 37.2%
- % of US K-12 Students Attending 'Traditional In-person/Every day" schools = 37.7%
- % of US K-12 Students Attending "Hybrid" Schools = 25.2 %
Trends and Observations:
1) To review, Burbio launched the audit on August 11th showing 52% "virtual only" and it shifted dramatically as the month went on and increased to 62% by Labor Day as large districts such as Hawaii, Dallas, small cities in the Northeast, Boston and parts of the Midwest reversed previously announced in-person plans. In a Labor Day release, Burbio noted that many districts had announced plans to shift from virtual to in-person during September, and that trend has taken hold; the virtual-only number is now 37.2%
2) Last week saw a continuation of the transition to in-person for a number of districts (see above), but the move away from virtual is slowing dramatically and most of the districts introducing in-person had started the process earlier in October. Oakland County, MI (Detroit suburbs), Polk County, IA, Chester County, PA (far Philly suburbs), and St, Louis County, MO all added in person learning. Wake County, NC, and Loudoun County, VA added some in person learning for the first time.
3) The overall theme of the week was continued delays for the remaining districts trying to open, and a landscape of increasing volatility for schools that are open due to rising Covid rates and the use of community spread criteria for keeping schools open. Pittsburgh delayed general in-person learning until January and voted to focus on bringing in vulnerable students; New Haven, CT, delayed in-person learning due to rising Covid cases; San Diego, CA formally moved their next target date for in-person learning to January; Nashville paused it's phased in-person learning for older students; Reading PA is postponing in person learning indefinitely, as is Upper Darby, PA. St Paul, MN voted to postpone in person learning due to Covid despite the arrival this week of air filters that were going to allow hybrid learning to begin.
4) For schools that are currently open, prior to last week there have been scattered individual school closures due to Covid outbreaks but nothing district wide. However, Santa Marina County, TX, closed all schools this past week due to Covid, as did schools in Duval County, FL, although in Duval's case Governor Rick DeSantis has spoken out against school closures due to community Covid outbreaks. District 300 in McHenry, IL, reverted to virtual after only 6 days of K-3 in person learning; 200 people were quarantined and positivity rates in the zip code are over 12%. In other words, the landscape is changing, despite the general consensus that schools themselves are not proving to be a source of Covid spread.
According to Roche, “We are seeing an increasing discussion of whether community spread is the right way to measure whether schools should stay open given that the "spread" in question seems to be universally occurring outside schools.” Roches notes Delaware made some slight adjustments to it's criteria to make it easier for schools to be open. Norwich, CT is choosing to open in hybrid in consultation with local health officials. Schaumberg, IL, which opened hybrid on 10/19, is remaining open as the 13 staff and 5 students who have tested positive were not linked to each other or the school and Mayfield City Schools in Ohio are remaining open even as their region moves to a higher Covid "level" as cases are not occurring in the schools. This district in Hamilton, County, OH, is staying open even as their region's "color" level elevates and the announcement is worth quoting: "Please know that as a school district, our operations plan is not tied to the state-wide Health Advisory System. We will continue to monitor data throughout our school district and the zip codes we serve when making decisions regarding our operations. At this time, we have no intention of altering the education models we have in place."
The bottom line: Things continue to change rapidly, all across the nation. We're going to keep an eye on the data and watch the trends. We will be offering a webinar or two to help you remain informed too. Watch your in-box for details.
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NAPT ACTS! Coming Together
NAPT
As we've said before, NAPT ACTS!, the school transportation component of a new streaming service that will offer both live and on-demand content created to help you effectively manage the current and future challenges in K-12 transportation, is unlike anything we've ever tried before. That's why it's taking a little longer than expected to launch. Sorry about that.
The good news, however, is that we did a demo last week for some of our traditional vendor partners and their response was fantastic. Several asked if they could be onboard before we go live so we're working with them to update the platform with even more content.
We're also developing content in conjunction with associations that represent school boards, superintendents, business officials and other administrators, as well as third parties not in the education establishment but relevant to your work.
Remember, NAPT ACTS! is not a conference; it's a whole new way of helping you get what you need. Over the next 10 months, NAPT alone is going to offer more than 40 different and unique keynotes, panel discussions and workshops featuring government policy makers; health and safety professionals; education leaders; union leadership; human resource professionals; and more, including, of course, many of your most innovative and creative public and private sector peers. Our vendor partners are going to enhance that content with webinars, workshops, videos and publications of their own that go deeper, using their subject matter expertise to give you even greater access to information and ideas.
In the last 7 months, everyone involved in school transportation has been part of significant change in K-12 education. NAPT intends to remain in the forefront of this movement and we are creating NAPT ACTS! to help you stay ahead of the curve. We are working hard right now to put the finishing touches on NAPT ACTS! and can't wait to show you what it looks like. We appreciate your patience.
If you're excited, that's great, because we are too. Please stay tuned. You'll be hearing from us again soon.
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Connect with NAPT
NAPT
Let NAPT help you stay in touch with colleagues and up-to-date on industry news and interesting stories from around the nation.
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Keep Your NAPT® Member Profile Up-to-Date
NAPT
Now is a great time to log in to the NAPT® website and update your member profile!
Once you're logged in:
- View and update your personal information — it's quick and simple. As soon as you log in, you'll see all of your information and have the ability to make edits as necessary.
- Upload a professional photo to display in your profile that will be visible in the Online Member Directory.
- Provide a brief professional biography in the space provided so we can learn a little more about you.
- Select your Directory Category by clicking on "My Directory Options" and selecting the appropriate organization type.
Log in today! Please contact headquarters at 800.989.6278 if you need assistance logging in to the system.
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Does your district have students without Internet at home? Equip your buses with WiFi and park them in neighborhoods, apartment complexes, mobile home parks, and school parking lots to create Internet access point amid distance learning. Get started by downloading the Community WiFi Hotspot Guide.
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Wash a School Bus in less than 5 minutes! Using only 5 gallons of water and 1 ounce of soap per minute, walk around the bus applying soap and the second time using fresh water, all automated. We are the world’s most economical, ecological and efficient bus wash system!
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.INDUSTRY NEWS
8 big consequences the elections could have for K-12 schools
Chalkbeat
Most education decisions are local decisions. But the pandemic has thrust education policy onto the national stage, bringing unusual attention to new debates about when to reopen schools and what resources schools need to get back on track. That means that the elections for president and Congress will almost certainly have some concrete implications for schools in just the next few months. And even though education hasn't been at the center of President Donald Trump's or former Vice President Joe Biden's campaigns, the two candidates offer starkly different visions for the future of America's schools — when it comes to both navigating the COVID crisis and improving education over the long haul.
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DeVos will let religious groups apply for charter grants, opening up new legal battlefront
Chalkbeat
The law is clear: In order to be eligible for federal charter grants, charter schools must not be “affiliated with a sectarian school or religious institution.”
But Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said earlier this week that she will no longer enforce this prohibition. Religious organizations should feel free to apply for federal money to open charter schools, she said, and a recent Supreme Court ruling is on her side.
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9 ways states and schools are coping with COVID-19
The 74
The coronavirus pandemic, through necessitating virtual learning and forcing extended school closures, has beamed a spotlight on the extent of education inequity in the United States. After a nationwide realization that millions of students didn't have the necessary equipment or access to infrastructure to move learning online, researchers and advocates are now following a trend of schools reopening sooner in more affluent communities.
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Can public education return to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic?
The Brookings Institution
In the familiar nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty fell off a great wall and couldn’t be put back together again. After being broken apart by COVID-19, will public education be like Humpty, or can it be put back just as it was? The latter possibility seems simple enough: Wait until the pandemic is over and then, after a year of coping, bring all the students and teachers back into schools as if the shutdown had never happened.
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'An unprecedented, unusual circumstance': How COVID-19 is rattling the school bus industry in Massachusetts
Boston Globe
John McCarthy is not in the restaurant business, but he looks at his own industry in similar terms. There's the cook, frying up the dishes in the back of house, and there are the waiters, delivering meals to the customers. They rely on one another, he explains. For McCarthy, CEO of North Reading-based NRT Bus, Inc. — which, merged with Van Pool Transportation, shuttles about 125,000 students to classrooms across Massachusetts on a regular day — the waiters in his line of work are the school bus drivers.
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Lawmakers push plan to protect school jobs from pandemic cuts
Education Week
Amid stalled coronavirus relief negotiations, leading Democrats on a congressional education committee unveiled a proposal they say could safeguard up to 3.9 million education jobs threatened by the pandemic and address the effects of interrupted learning. Alarm bells are ringing in school districts across the country about the state of their budgets in an economy hamstrung by the coronavirus. Some states have already made cuts to K-12 funding, but analysts say many of the worst effects of the pandemics on education funding are still to come. Education groups have been warning Congress about this issue for months.
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Rhode Island health officials: Crack open school bus windows during winter
WJAR
The Rhode Island Department of Health said it's important to have windows open on school buses during the winter months. The windows have been open to stop the spread of the coronavirus. A spokesperson for the Department of Health told NBC 10 News that the windows do not need to be wide open, adding they can "just be cracked."
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Thomas Built Buses begins delivery of Proterra powered electric school buses in Virginia
Automotive World
Thomas Built Buses, a leading manufacturer of school buses in North America, its exclusive Virginia dealer, Sonny Merryman, and Proterra, a leading innovator in heavy-duty electric transportation, recently celebrated the arrival of the first Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley battery-electric school buses in Virginia under phase one of Dominion Energy's Electric School Bus Initiative. The celebration took place on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, in Evington, Virginia.
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Iconic yellow buses mean red ink for rural Iowa schools
The Gazette
Vicki and Matt Bruening live on a Floyd County acreage with six children ranging from a fourth-grader to a sophomore in high school. The farm family, like many others across Iowa, was concerned whether school doors would open in the fall. "We were most worried about if they wouldn't be able to go back at all," Vicki Bruening said. "It's been a different kind of school year so far, but it's also been good to get them back in the classroom, back with their friends."
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4 'jobs' that shape COVID-era school decisions
District Administration Magazine
While navigating the uncertainties of the COVID-era may be keeping superintendents and their teams up at night, a think tank that studies disruption is offering some guidance on decision-making. Unprecedented times mean pre-pandemic school data may not be as informative in helping leaders meet the challenges of equity, online learning and health and safety.
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Which matters more: Hiring superstars, or removing toxic employees? Harvard research reveals the surprising answer
Inc.
Superstar employees are invaluable. As founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers Art Rooney once said, "You can never overpay a good player. You can only overpay a bad one. I don't mind paying a good player $200,000. What I mind is paying a $20,000 player $22,000." Great employees? They're worth a lot more to your teams, your customers, and your bottom line than average employees. Truly exceptional employees? They're worth significantly more than average employees. Or not.
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Where Trump and Biden stand on K-12 issues
Education DIVE
As the 2020 presidential race nears Election Day, the proposed education policies of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden could have a significant impact on K-12 education. In recent years, districts have dealt with a kind of "whiplash" of pendulating policies and guidance on everything from Title IX and immigration practices to school discipline policies, accompanying administration and party changes.
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Nothing stays the same in a crisis. Don't try to make it
Inc.
One of the hallmarks of crisis is that life as we know it seems to change in an instant. Chaos reigns and information changes rapidly. We find ourselves at a loss of what to do or how to move forward. The one thing we do know for certain is that the status quo is untenable — we can't go back to where we were nor can we stay where we are. So how do we get through crisis? Not to oversimplify, but we just adapt. We remain flexible to the situation as it is presented to us and not stuck in old patterns.
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Earn employees trust though effective communication
Forbes
The COVID-19 pandemic appears to be with us for the foreseeable future, creating a fog of uncertainty for much of the workforce. People have worries about their personal and family health and safety, their children's education and care, their parent's well-being, and a lot more. At the same time, work-related issues abound including how to return safely to the workplace, job security, difficulties with off-site work including missing human interactions and apprehensions about the company's very survival.
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10 attitudes about feedback from the most effective leaders
Forbes (commentary)
Joseph Folkman, a contributor for Forbes, writes: "Occasionally, people read articles about the best approaches to giving and receiving feedback and may think to themselves, 'That all sounds great, but what do the most effective leaders actually do?' To answer that question, I combined a self-assessment measuring feedback preference with 360-degree evaluations of leaders from 13 or more managers, peers, direct reports and others."
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How the best leaders answer 'what are we here for?'
Harvard Business Review
In a crisis, the possibility of failure feels close. This often drives leaders into command-and-control mode: more-rigid schedules, tighter budgets, exaggerated targets, hyperbolic promises. Military metaphors proliferate. But during a crisis of deep ambiguity and uncertainty, what's more important than the rhetorical demonstration of certainty is the formulation of a strong, shared sense of meaning. Leaders can't impose this from above.
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