Monday morning’s festivities started off with another round of award presentations, capped off by a standing ovation for STN Leadership Award winner Brian Weisinger.

“I’m very fortunate to work with a motivated staff who never settles for just enough,” said Weisinger in a recent feature in the November issue of STN.

The Spring ISD transportation director and November issue feature subject was selected for his “behind the scenes” style of leadership and impressive career in pupil transportation, which started in the mechanic shop and led to his position as director of the Texas school district in 2002.

The awards for the America’s Best competition were also presented, with tech winner David Smith and top inspector Nikolas Warejcka on hand to accept the awards. IC Bus also honored Mark Linstrom, transportation director for Troup County (Ga.) School System, with its School Bus Driver Training Award, and Clayton County (Ga.) Public Schools Transportation Director John Lyles received the Thomas Built Buses Continuing Education Award.

After some NAPT business, including nominations for this year board member elections, attendees were entertained by a keynote by STN regular Peggy Burns. And with that, another day of workshops began, including a lesson on National Transportation Safety Board investigations and a discussion on pedal misapplication led by NTSB Investigator Dennis Collins.

“When you spend a lot of time driving one vehicle, your body will perform habitual responses,” said Collins, relating the reason why a school bus driver in one example of pedal misapplication mistakenly stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake in a bus she had never driven before.

Soon-to-be NAPT President Dr. Linda Bluth addressed a packed workshop on Office of Civil Rights (OCR) cases concerning school transportation. Dr. Bluth discussed cases involving communication limitations with deaf children, delays in implementing or maintaining proper services, and when children with disabilities can be exempt from school bus evacuation drills, among numerous other examples.

“The OCR will look at the systematic nature of things,” explained Dr. Bluth.

Afternoon sessions also included Peggy Burns and Mark Hinson speaking about resolving difficult employee transportation situations, a workshop on the seven deadly sins of pupil transportation and a keynote by Teena Fitzroy on her first-hand account of overcoming cerebral palsy.