A new section to be discussed at the U.S. school transportation industry's meeting of states to develop and revise school bus standards and specifications focuses on "No Child Left Behind" and the effect of school choice on transportation services.

The proposed changes, moves and strike throughs were posted on the Internet today, less than two weeks prior to the start of proceedings for the 15th NCST held on the campus of the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, about an hour outside of Kansas City. The last gathering was held in May of 2005 and resulted in the current version of the National School Transportation Specifications & Procedures manual.

Pete Baxter, NCST steering committee chair and state director of transportation at the Indiana Department of Education, announced that hundreds of pages of documents were available online for review by state delegates and other interested parites. Other sections to be discussed May 16-19 are: bus body and chassis; specially-equipped school buses; operations; school transportation security and emergency preparedness; transportation for students with disabilities; infants, toddlers and preschool children; and school bus inspections.

In addition to providing an overview of current federal elementary and secondary education law, the newly added No Child Left Behind section also discusses when transportation services are necessary to ensure parental and student choice of higher-performing schools, or a current school is "persistently dangerous." The proceedings this month will discuss the appropriate length of time school districts must respond to transportation requests, out-of-district transportation, paying for choice-related transportation, and priority transportation when funds are insufficient to provide services to all eligible students.

NCST attendees from an expected 47 states nationwide will also discuss the use of Title I funds and how the McKinney-Vento Act and required transportation of homeless students to their school of origin play in to No Child Left Behind.