School Bus Fleet, February 2021

24 WWW SCHOOLBUSFLEET COM SCHOOL BUS FLEET FEBRUARY 2021 Explaining to parents that the bus staff is implementing actions that have been recommended by the childs special education teachers gives school bus personnel credibility Shutrump says REINFORCEMENT STRATEGIES 3 Maintaining social distance Ensuring special needs students maintain social distance starts with seating procedures according to Julie Jilek NSSEOs assistant superintendent for business services By assigning seats and placing students who board first in the back and the last students to board in the font students do not pass each other Coding seats with color or tape creating story boards showing students sitting in their seats placing a sibling in an aisle seat to act as role model and or implementing reward systems can also help students maintain social distance Shutrump says However if these measures fail the child may need a regulations When problems occur Mitchells bus drivers call parents directly while Shutrump suggests seeking parents advice when picking up or dropping off a student Shutrump also recommends keeping an open dialogue with parents bus drivers and attendants should tell parents about their training in COVID safety measures why they are having students perform certain tasks and that they are practicing safety precautions such as using hand sanitizer between each interaction with the children team develops strategies and sets transportation goals for the student I recommend that school districts build a relationship with the special education department Mitchell says It makes it easier to help a student with transportation issues if transportation staff are at the initial meeting rather than having to call another IEP meeting to address the situation At the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization in Mt Prospect Illinois the special education and transportation departments go a step further They talk with each other regularly and the departments plan and train together so everyone knows what is expected of staff and individual students according to Judy Hackett the districts supervisor 2 Make parents part of the team Shutrump Hackett and Mitchell agree that parents play a key role in getting students to comply with COVID safety SPECIAL NEEDS TRANSPORTATION DURING COVID Strategies for dealing with mask sensitivity include using story boards of siblings or a favorite stuffed animal wearing a mask and giving the child a mask made with a different material says Susan Shutrump occupational therapist physical therapist supervisor for Trumbull County Educational Service Center Photo courtesy Susan Shutrump