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Three’s Company in Grand Rapids There was more than enough room for NASDPTS, NAPT and Michigan association members to rub elbows at this year’s cooperative conference Compiled by STN Staff Combining three annual conferences into one space could have caused any number of problems. But NAPT, NASDPTS and the Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation (MAPT) were able to come together cohesively, bringing new outlooks on old ideas, entertaining and informative workshops, and fun to Grand Rapids, Mich. State Directors Get Up to Date The American School Bus Council set out its plan for the next year. Although activity within the group had slowed down in the last six months, spokesman Pete Japikse of Ohio said the coalition of NASDPTS, NAPT, NSTA and school bus manufacturers Blue Bird, IC Corp and Thomas Built Buses together with PR firm Burston-Marsteller would be making new headlines in the coming weeks, including updates made to its Web site, which was expected to go live before Christmas. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on school bus seat belts and occupant protection was discussed only in theory during NHTSA’s pupil transportation and pedestrian program analyst Leah Preiss’ presentation and a day earlier by Dr. Roger Saul, director of NHTSA’s Office of Crashworthiness Standards. Both NHTSA reps’ statements that it was close to being released was solidified when the NPRM was released at the end of November. (See story on page 16.) Seat belts were further discussed by the association and a parent-led school bus seat belt advocacy group from Texas. Brad Brown and Stephen Foreman of West Brook Bus Crash Families (WBBCF), which was formed after a motorcoach crash last in 2006 claimed the life of Brad’s daughter Ashley and her soccer teammate Alicia Bonura, pushed for legislation that eventually made Texas the second state in the nation to pass a law requiring lap/shoulder belts on school buses as well as any bus used for activity trips, including motorcoaches. A new angle was added to the seat belt debate at Saturday night’s state directors dinner, where Safeguard’s James Johnson unveiled the new FlexSeat, which allows two high school or three elementary students to be secured with three-point lap/shoulder belts in the same seat. Laughter, Learning, and a Live Event Charlie Kennington of the Region IV Education Service Center in Houston took the stage for the introduction of the contestants of this year’s National School Bus Safety Speech Contest. Regional winners spoke about the safety advantages of school transportation compared to teenage drivers. The four contestants — Leanna Swain (Texas), Anurag Panday (Calif.), Diamond Breland (N.Y.) and Rachel Gaylord-Miles (N.C.) — separately took the stage and presented the audience with their thoughts on the subject. Breland proved a third time is a charm during the NAPT’s speech contest finale. “You have a voice to tell teenagers that school buses are the safest form of transportation,” said Breland in her award-winning speech. Comedian Mack Dryden followed the contest with the keynote speech, entitled “Laugh to the Top: A Hilarious Seven Step Guide to Achieving Your Goal.” An actor who has made appearances on “The Tonight Show,” Dryden has battled cancer and even survived a stint in an African prison. He spoke to the crowd about achieving their personal and professional goals. Dryden again took the stage Sunday night at the NAPT Awards Banquet to honor this year’s winners in a late-night talk show fashion. Seated at a desk reminiscent of his past appearances on “The Tonight Show,” Dryden brought each winner on stage and uncovered some of their background as well as their reactions to being honored. Bernstein played Ed McMahon to Dryden’s Johnny Carson, often stirring the crowd into a roar of laughter. After one of the award recipients kissed Bernstein on the head, it became an instant tradition. “I’ll be available all night,” joked Bernstein. The award presentations continued Monday morning at the Blue Bird-sponsored breakfast, including the presentation of the STN Leadership Award to Peter Lawrence. Lawrence, the certified director of pupil transportation for Fairport, N.Y., Central School District, is a 19-year industry veteran, a former head mechanic and a driver/safety trainer. Tuesday morning, a number of early birds boarded motorcoaches to attend a mock school bus hostage crisis put on by NAPT/NASDPTS and the local SWAT team. At the site, the audience was addressed by Lt. Dan Savage from the Grand Rapids, Mich., Police Department, who explained the situation and what would have led up to the staged crisis. “Breaching the bus is the last option we have available to us,” said Savage. “The tactics you’re going to see are not the only way to skin a cat.” Volunteers from the crowd played the hostages and soon found out that all parties on the bus would initially be considered suspects. After Savage set off a “flash bang” grenade as a distraction, the SWAT members immediately stormed the school bus on both sides, screaming for everyone to freeze and put their hands up. The hostages were then removed from the bus, restrained and searched. “Demonstrations like this call attention to this type of incident,” said STN regular Denny Coughlin. “When they see it at the convention, it spurs interest so when they go home, they may contact their local law enforcement and start talking about this type of incident.” During the post-event briefing, Savage asked attendees to provide old buses and window glass to their local law enforcement agencies to give them working knowledge of what will work and what won’t during a similar crisis. “We already let our local SWAT teams practice on our buses. However, their activities are limited since they must return the buses in working condition for route coverage,” said Pete Meslin, director of transportation for the Newport-Mesa, Calif., Unified School District. “They don’t get to practice forced entries or the impacts of various weapons. As we learned, that type of practice is valuable as well. To help address this shortcoming, as buses are replaced we will be offering them to our local police before disposal.” MAPT Presents “Safety Town”
2007 NAPT Awards Speech Contest Blue Bird Heroism Award: NAPT Distinguished Service: NAPT Hall of Fame Sure-Lok Special Needs SBF Administrator of the Year Technician of the Year Inspector of the Year IC School Bus Driver Training STN Leadership Award 2007 School Bus Safety NAPT Board of Directors |
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