PUBLICATIONS
NEW!
Defensible Decisions about Transporting Students with Special Needs: Lessons Learned from Legal Disputes
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LEGAL ROUTES™ NEWSLETTER
“Your roadmap to pupil transportation law and compliance.” This bi-monthly newsletter offers analysis you can understand, experience you can benefit from, and a foundation you can depend on for the critical decisions transportation officials must make. LEARN MORE
VIDEO TRAINING PROGRAMS
FOR DRIVERS
"The Road to Compliance for Special Needs Drivers"
This video training program will provide the foundation for the essential functions performed by drivers of students with disabilities. Discussion guide and driver handout included. LEARN MORE
"PUTTING THE BRAKES ON HARASSMENT: TRAINING FOR SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS"
This video training program will help your drivers recognize and address student-to-student harassment when it happens on their watch. A trainer's discussion guide and handout for drivers is included. LEARN MORE
"STEERING CLEAR OF LIABILITY: TRAINING FOR SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS"
This video training program drives home the concern of
unauthorized stops and schedules! Train drivers to avoid legal
detours created when a driver
doesn't follow the rules. LEARN MORE
"CONFIDENTIAL RECORDS: TRAINING FOR SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS"
The only video training program about confidentiality created for school bus drivers! This award-winning program meets federally-mandated prerequisites for drivers to get the information they need. LEARN MORE
Presentation Topics
Topics vary in length, format, and intended audience (e.g., drivers, attendants, supervisors, general office staff). We'll work with you to structure these sessions to best meet your needs.
The Road to Learning – Peggy Burns
Your mission is to get children to school safely, and ready to learn. Peggy will explore the role school transportation can play in student success. School transportation is so much more than a way to get from "point A" to "point B." The yellow school bus represents a child's access to education in the truest sense, but it can also prove to be a barrier. We will consider ways in which school transportation professionals can support the educational process and avoid posing obstacles as you transport your precious cargo down the Road to Learning.
Mock Trial: Judge Peggy – Peggy Burns and conference attendees
Innovative, fictional role-plays of courtroom re-enactments adapted from real court cases and agency disputes. (Requires at least 1 ½ hours)
Deal or No Deal – Peggy Burns
When to fight, when to cave, and when to compromise in school transportation legal dilemmas
Just When You Thought You'd Heard It All – Peggy Burns
The reality of school transportation is often stranger than fiction. Peggy tells you about some headlines and cases that will make you shake your head and say “It couldn’t happen here”. . . but could it?
Taking the Blinders off Lady Justice – Peggy Burns
Everyone has seen the statue of the Lady Justice, represented as an elegant goddess holding scales and wearing a blindfold. How can this image, and the goddess’ gift of prophesy, help us to understand the concept of foreseeability as a road to liability for school districts?
Lost, Missing or Merely Misplaced – Peggy Burns
Risks and remedies for the Transportation Department’s involvement in situations where students just aren’t where they’re supposed to be
Avoiding Liability: The Real Risks – Peggy Burns
Myths and musts when it comes to legal worries: what are true danger zones? We’ll consider the real risks that student-to-student harassment, failure to follow policy, and driver training issues present.
Communication: the Legal Issues – Peggy Burns
Many aspects of communication by school transportation professionals have legal implications. This workshop covers such areas as the sharing of information, the content and context of communication, legal mandates about communication and notification embodied in special education laws, and other topics.
The Law Looks at Training – Peggy Burns
This is a comprehensive exploration of how training has figured into recent court cases. From basic policies, procedures and operational guidelines, to the role of legal concepts like governmental immunity, dangerous conditions, and foreseeability, attendees will learn what training is essential, who must have it, and what it must include.
Dealing with Difficult Employees – Peggy Burns, or Mark Hinson, or Both
Employee issues can be unsettling and complex. We’ll take the tension out of such topics as Discipline, Discrimination, and Due Process
Groaning over Overtime – Peggy Burns, or Mark Hinson, or Both
How to work with the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act
Choosing and Losing Employees – Peggy Burns, or Mark Hinson, or Both
Legal issues in hiring and firing transportation staff members
Sharing Information Legally – Peggy Burns
It’s clear that you have to have certain types of student information to transport students to school safely and ready to learn. But are there risks in sharing?
Pre & Post Boarding Injuries – Peggy Burns
Preventing some of the calamities that can occur when students aren’t even on the bus.
Putting the Brakes on Harassment – Peggy Burns
The old “sing-song” says sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will never hurt us” – But that turns out not to be true. Bullying and harassment are barriers to learning. We’ll talk about appropriate responses on the bus and at the bus stop.
Hot Topics in Special Needs Transportation – Peggy Burns
(and a variety of specific topics within this area, such as: “Reading between the Lines: What the New IDEA Regs Mean for you,” or “’Access’: It’s Not Just a Word" or “Transportation Issues Under Section 504”). Focus on current themes and cases related to the transportation of students with special needs challenges.
Developing and Maintaining High Performance Teams – Mark Hinson
Your success is dependent upon the performance of the team you lead. What makes a team high performing? Remember, their success rests with you.
Effective Employee/Labor Relations – Mark Hinson
Collaboration not divisiveness is the key for a harmonious workplace. Tools and strategies are necessary for an effective culture and work climate.
Sharp Pencils and Alligators Under the Bed – Peggy Burns and Mark Hinson
What's lurking to pop out at you as budgets are trimmed and service delivery and personnel changes are made? In a new, "slimmer" environment, what can drive you too far? What steps should you take to "draw a line in the sand" and address necessary personnel issues. This session will explore unacceptable workplace behaviors and violations of operating procedures that you must not tolerate, and help you prepare to impose serious disciplinary consequences.
Learning from Challenging Situations – Peggy Burns (individually or with Mark Hinson and/or Pauline Gervais, depending on subject-matter emphasis)
Remember a time when you promised yourself "that will never happen again?" Participate in scenarios offered during this session and you'll gain tips and learn ways to steer clear of "oh, no, not again" situations. (Scenarios will change depending upon desired focus).
Conducting Effective Investigations – Peggy Burns and Mark Hinson
The principles of the when, why, and how of conducting investigations are consistent, whether the investigation involves personnel or student issues. Learn practical techniques and explore all-too-true scenarios to carry out your responsibilities in this critical area legally and effectively.
Violent Behavior and Conflict Resolution in the Workplace – Mark Hinson
This presentation will provide participants with the knowledge to recognize causes of workplace conflict, how to facilitate resolution of conflict, and how to manage work relations following conflict resolution.
Homeless Children: A Population Mosaic and Transportation Maze – Pauline Gervais
The McKinney-Vento Act is becoming more and more of a challenge to school transporters as the nation experiences an increase in families with children who are homeless. We'll discuss strategies and creative solutions for serving this growing population during these very difficult economic times.
Basics of Special Needs Transportation – Pauline Gervais
This session offers an in-depth overview of legal and operational requirements for those new to special transportation, or participants who wish a review of IDEA compliance issues and best practices. We'll cover all aspects of transporting students with disabilities from the why we need to provide services to how to provide a safe and least restrictive service.
Routing and Scheduling – Pauline Gervais
This session focuses on route efficiencies and helps you answer the question "Are you fully utilizing current resources while maintaining fiscal responsibility?" Are the demands of NCLB choice, special education, McKinney Vento placing a strain on transportation? This session provides creative solutions to manage these requirements and more! NOTE: Special education scheduling can be included or offered as a separate session which focuses on creative solutions for to integrating students with disabilities with their non-disabled peers on the road to least restrictive environment.
Radio Dispatch – the Communication Hub of Transportation – Pauline Gervais
Radio dispatch is the link which connects transportation to students, parents, schools, community, and to your staff. This session provides tools and some tricks of the trade utilizing technology, training, and, most importantly, customer service techniques to ensure your dispatch runs smoothly.
Charter Schools – Making it Work – Pauline Gervais
This session explores possibilities on the how and why we should provide service to charter schools. Are you capturing the true cost of service? When to provide service? Will it involve bending school board policies, and should we? These answers and more are provided in this comprehensive overview of transportation and charter schools.
Comprehensive Train the Trainer Sessions – Transporting Students with Special Needs– Peggy Burns, Pauline Gervais, and Mark Hinson
This comprehensive series includes such topics as Law and Compliance, Operational Issues, and Human Resource Concerns. We'll cover such topics as: Review of laws that provide the framework for transporting students with disabilities, with discussion of roles and relationships of transportation professional to the obligations set forth in federal law; Appropriate Operational strategies, and routing and scheduling issues; Selecting and retaining effective employee, performance management and discipline. Typically, 3 – 5 day program.