School Bus Fleet, February 2021

6 WWW SCHOOLBUSFLEET COM SCHOOL BUS FLEET FEBRUARY 2021 ing temperature screenings on students or verbal screenings with parents before the students board the bus As a result some respondents commented that running their routes is taking longer Additionally students who are unable to wear masks prompt the need for even more social distancing and therefore more vehicles We have reduced the number of children on the vans to allow for social distancing and non mask wearing children one respondent commented A few respondents mentioned increasing ventilation which as one noted can impact students with tactile sensitivities In our story on helping special needs students adjust to COVID spurred safety measures pg 20 we aim to help drivers and aides find ways to assist students with certain conditions such as reluctance to wear a mask due to respiratory problems or sensory processing issues Teena Mitchell the special needs transportation coordinator for Greenville S C County Schools told us that she has special needs students ride the bus around the parking lot mid day so they can get comfortable with a mask Meanwhile Susan Shutrump the occupational therapist physical therapist supervisor for Trumbull County Ohio Educational Service Center said that using pictures of loved ones wearing a mask can help coax a student to put one on as well as providing a mask made of another fabric or a face shield and giving rewards for compliance Also for students with respiratory problems Mitchell consults with special educators parents and students physicians Based on their feedback students may be placed away from an open window that is ventilating the bus She notes that it is more important than ever for pupil transporters to work with the special education department and be involved in students Individualized Education Programs to offer optimal support Hopefully all educators including those behind the wheel will soon see crucial federal guidance and support n With a new year and significant changes underway from a new presidential administration to vaccine distribution gaining ground which could potentially make it easier to open more schools things are looking up for 2021 It has been widely reported that President Joe Biden has announced a plan to reopen K 12 schools in his first 100 days in ofice He kicked of this efort by signing several executive actions aiming to support educators and students The orders direct federal agencies to get more personal protective equipment PPE to schools which can get reimbursed for them through the Federal Emergency Management Agency as well as more testing vaccines and data and guidance on safe reopening of schools Additionally National Public Radio reported on Jan 22 that the new Administration is discussing helping schools conduct rapid COVID testing and that the executive orders specifically mentioned teachers as a group that should get equitable access to vaccination very soon Hopefully bus drivers and aides will also be prioritized for vaccinations Bidens orders also direct federal agencies to compile analyze and report data and best practices to help schools stay open safely according to the news source because so far there hasnt been a centralized federal effort to do so And with schools nationwide just starting to come down from a peak in virtual learning as of late January according to community data service Burbio all these forms of support are still greatly needed This is of course the case for taking students to and from school in particular special needs students some of whom are especially vulnerable health wise Bus drivers and aides on the road right now are already taking pandemic related precautionary measures In our annual Special Needs Survey pg 14 half of respondents reported taking on additional tasks to this efect including increasing cleaning and sanitizing buses wearing PPE and masks making sure students who can wear masks do so and conduct WITH A NEW ADMINISTRATION A PROMISE OF SUPPORT FOR OUR MOST VULNERABLE By Nicole Schlosser Executive Editor EDITORS NOTE Hopefully all educators including those behind the wheel will soon see crucial federal guidance and support