Creative Approaches to Trainingfor

School Bus Drivers and Bus Attendants

July 16, 2015

PRESENTER

George Horne, PresidentHorne Enterprises

5017 Bissonet DriveMetairie, LA 70003-1013

504-456-0141chestnut38@aol.com

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“ON THE SOAPBOX”

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“Like an elegant meal, training should

be nourishing, flavorful and temptingly presented.”

INGREDIENTS(AKA “TRAINING TOPICS”)

Basic driving maneuvers? Proper use of the vehicle’s signals? Defensive driving techniques? Loading/unloading procedures? Statutes, policies and other regulations? Accident/incident/emergency

procedures? First aid/CPR? “Special” transportation procedures? Child-specific training? Confidentiality training?

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…AND EVEN MORE TOPICS

Communication skills (including listening)? Passenger management/discipline/bullying? Interpersonal relations skills? Personal appearance? Personal behavior? Attitude in the workplace? Cultural sensitivity? Documentation skills? Available resources?

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DOES YOUR TRAINING REGIMEN REFLECT DIVERSE ABILITIES AND NEEDS

OF YOUR DRIVERS AND MONITORS?

Experience? Educational levels? Differentiated job requirements? Cultural backgrounds? Learning styles? Needs of passengers transported? Access to resources?

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SOME DISCUSSION TOPICS FOR DRIVERS AND MONITORS

(ATTENDANTS/AIDES)

Changing needs of children (e.g., stages of development)

Showing that you care “Saving” children (from danger;

from misdeeds) Delayed gratification “Walking the walk” Legal “ramifications” of various

situations7

HOW DO I KNOW WHICH TOPICS TO SELECT FOR TRAINING SESSIONS?

Be observant. Review complaints. Review accident reports. Talk to school-based staff. Talk to special support staff. Listen to parents and students. Listen to drivers and monitors. Use evaluation instruments. Know your state’s requirements.

Encourage input!8

GETTING PARTICIPANTS INVOLVED

THIS? OR THIS?

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SPICE IT UP WITH FUN ACTIVITIES

“Choices”

“Acronyms”

“The Numbers Game”

“What Do I Know?” (Find the Hidden Words)

“A Fantasy Trip”10

DEALING WITH

ADMINISTRATORS

CHOICES

LAWS AND REGULATIONS

POST-ACCIDENT

PROCEDURES

FIRST AID

DEALING WITH

PARENTS

LOADING AND UNLOADING

SALARIES AND

COMPENSATION

RAIDROAD CROSSING

PROCEDURES

DEFENSIVE

DRIVING

PASSENGER

MANAGEMENT

EMERGENCY EVACUATION

VEHICLE

INSPECTIONS

1. Put your finger on any gray box. 4. Move diagonally to the nearest white box.

2. Move left or right to the nearest white box. 5. Move left or right to the nearest gray box.

3. Move up or down to the nearest gray box. 6. Consensus? Let’s start there!11

“THE NUMBERS GAME”: A Training Exercise for School Bus Drivers

In the table below, match the appropriate number at the bottom of the page with each statement, and place the correct or “best” number in the column to the right of the statement. (Note that some statements will have more than one number, and the same number may apply to more than one statement.) Check your answers with the key on page 2.

1. The aisle width on most “standard” school buses is ___ inches at seat bottom level. 2. Under normal driving conditions at speeds below 40 mph, you should maintain a ___-

second following distance behind the vehicle in front of you.

3. As you drive, you should scan approximately ___ to ___ seconds down the road. 4. Emergency evacuation drills should be conducted at least ___ time(s) each semester

during the school year.

5. While driving, your focus should change every ___ to ___ seconds as you scan. 6. How many objects are permitted to be secured in the aisle of the bus? 7. You should activate your turn signal at least ___ feet before making a turn. 8. If students must cross roadways, require them to cross ___ to ___ feet in front of the bus

and never behind the bus.

9. If your bus is disabled and you place reflective triangles to mark the possible hazard, the reflector nearest the bus should be approximately ___ feet from the bus.

10. How many students should be standing while the bus is in motion? 11. You should activate your amber lights no closer than ___ feet to the bus stop. 12. At a railroad crossing, you should stop no closer than ___ to ___ feet from the nearest

rail.

13. Perception time (i.e., the time required from perceiving a hazard to beginning reaction) and reaction time are estimated to be approximately ___ of a second each.

14. The minimum acceptable depth of each tread on a front bus tire is ___ inches. 15. The minimum acceptable depth of each tread on a rear bus tire is ___ inches. 16. The minimum wait time for a bus driver to drive after consuming alcohol is ___ hours. 17. If passengers must be evacuated from the bus, they should be directed to wait

approximately ___ feet from the bus under normal conditions.

18. The number of retread tires allowed on front wheels of school buses is ___. 19. Wheelchairs and other mobility devices should be secured with ___ tiedown straps. 20. Buses should not approach or leave a bus stop when children are closer than ___feet to

the bus.

21. Securement straps for wheelchairs and other mobility devices should be placed at an angle of approximately ___ degrees between the wheel chair and the floor of the bus.

22. In addition to a child sitting in a wheelchair or other mobility device and being loaded or unloaded, how many persons should be permitted to “ride” a lift at the same time?

Select your answers from the numbers below.

2/32 4/32 3/4 0 1 3 4 5 10 12 15 45 50 100

HE, 1998 Horne Enterprises

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WHAT DO I KNOW? A Training Exercise for School Bus Drivers

Find and circle the word that is best described by the statements below. (Words may appear forward, backwards, diagonal, top-to-bottom, bottom-to-top, etc.)

B S U B L O O H C S S T O P C S X E P I P L I A T B D E D O A T J W A F Q N H S W A L Z M F K Y N M P X G B M I N S M P E I D E B R I E F I N G U T A T D R I L L T F I L S E B I R Y G I O A L Z N R E P R S M T E T V G C C O E S F E Z T R M B A E J K O U W T D C O I A E O I R C D G N Z A U T N T P N R S A N D A L S I B O E U O T T L U G E A H S D A E R T T A S E K A R B A C K I N G E S L F T R A H C G N I T A E S F Q N B Z W M T L E T A E S C A N

1. Safest mode for pupil transportation 19. The “boss” on the bus 2. Something for the driver to do before and after every trip 20. Two traffic lanes changing into one 3. Should be given to all passengers as a greeting 21. How to gain respect 4. List or diagram of passengers and locations of their seats 22. Helper on some buses 5. Attaches emergency door to the bus body 23. Bus evacuation practice 6. Used in emergencies to assist injured passengers 24. Needed for night driving 7. Signal to other motorists; used when loading/unloading 25. Questioning after a bus accident 8. Carries toxic fumes away from the bus 26. Nuts that hold wheels to the bus

9. Type of license required to drive school buses 27. Footwear to avoid when driving a school bus

10. Type of adjuster on buses equipped with air brakes 28. One of two main colors of school buses

11. Most important element in a pupil transportation program 29. Essential for stopping a school bus

12. Designation of area all around the bus 30. Required use by all school bus drivers

13. Mechanical device for loading passengers in wheel chairs 31. Required of all buses at railroad crossings

14. Should be kept clear of legs and other objects 32. Bright flashing light atop some school buses

15. One type of fire extinguisher on school buses 33. Another main color of school buses

16. Type of seating on school buses without seat belts 34. When driving, defensive use of eyes

17. Groves molded into tires to improve traction 35. Spare driver or attendant; takes over in a “pinch”

18. Dangerous driving maneuver to avoid if possible 36. Daily trips, including bus stops

, 1998 Horne Enterprises

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ACRONYMS What Words Do the Letters Represent?

LAWS IDEA IDEIA ADA FERPA REGULATORY AUTHORITIES FMCSA TSA NHTSA DOT DOE ALTERNATIVE FUELS CNG LPG LNG PROFESSIONAL ORGAN. NASDPTS NAPT SAE NCST TRADE JOURNALS SBF STN MISCELLANEOUS GVWR CDL FMVSS MFSAB RRXing CPR CSRS IEP FAPE LRE DNR NTSB

, 2012

Horne

HE

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HEAD START ACTIVITY TRIP SITUATIONS

From a Head Start Center in Raleigh, you will be required to transport Head Start children on a school bus to a “field day” activity at a park in a neighboring county. Assisted by the monitor, you, the driver, must plan and execute the assignment as a trained professional. Please respond to each question. 1. What should you do by way of pre-trip planning before the event? 2. What documents are you required to take on the trip? To be prepared for possible emergencies, what additional

documents should you have on the trip? 3. Describe the pre-trip inspection. 4. Describe the loading and securement process. (Include equipment and passengers.) 5. You have decided not to travel on an interstate highway, but rather to take a state highway to your destination.

About ten miles from the park, the right front tire goes flat. You are able to safely stop the bus on the right shoulder of the roadway. Describe how you deal with the emergency.

6. You are able to resume the trip after a tire change, and shortly before you reach the park, you must cross double

railroad tracks. Describe the process required for school buses, from approach to actually crossing the tracks. 7. Upon arrival at the park, what are the responsibilities of the driver? Of the monitor? Of chaperones? 8. What are your (driver’s and monitor’s) duties after the visit to the park and before the bus leaves for the return

trip to the Center? What must you (driver and monitor) do upon your arrival at the Head Start Center?

Horne Enterprises

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BEGIN WITH AN EXAM…

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…CONTINUE WITH DISCUSSIONS.

MAKING YOUR POINTS WITH FREE DOWNLOADS

Cell phone usage (humorous commercial) Bullying on the bus (TV news clip) Child dragged by his school bus (TV news clip) NC School Bus Stop Law (video clip) Child Safety Restraint Systems (NHTSA) CPR for Children (short clip) CPR—continued chest compressions Missouri school bus crash photos and NTSB

report Etc.

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U TUBE DOWNLOADS

To download videos from U-Tube, open the U-Tube website and find the video you wish to download.

Open the video. Move the cursor to the URL at the top of the screen.

Insert ss after www.; then, strike the “enter” key. Select MP 4 360P or MP4 480P and “save” or “download.”

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A BIT OF HUMOR FOR SPICE

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“WAITING FOR THE PERFECT STUDENT”

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1. What topics am I teaching?

2. How am I teaching what I teach—what methods do I employ?

3. What resources do I provide?

4. How effective is my (our) training regimen?

SELF-EVALUATION

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WE TRAIN TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE…

With our drivers and monitors; With the children they transport; With the world of today and

tomorrow!

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SUGGESTED RESOURCES

U.S. Department of Transportation: www.dot.gov

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: www.nhtsa.dot.gov

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration: www.fmcsa.dot.gov

National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures, rev. 2010: www.ncstonline.org

Operation Lifesaver (Check you state’s chapter address.)

National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation: www.nasdpts.org

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SUGGESTED RESOURCES (CONT.)

National Association for Pupil Transportation: www.napt.org

National Head Start Association: www.nhsa.org

School Bus Fleet: www.schoolbusfleet.com

School Transportation News: www.stnonline.com

Pupil Transportation Safety Institute: www.ptsi.org

Education Compliance Group, Inc.: educationcompliancegroup.com

(Add your State Department of Education, State Office of Motor Vehicles and local/regional resources.)

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