A former and current transportation director shared experiences with utilizing technology for increased student safety on and around the school bus, while also providing four aspects of pupil transportation that are greatly improved by using management software.
Michael Roche, who previously served as director of transportation for Bellingham Public Schools in Massachusetts, is now vice president of customer engagement and business development for EZRouting by education software company and Thursday’s webinar sponsor TransAct Communications.
Also on the webinar was Allen Leonard, an educational veteran and the director of transportation for Fayette County Public Schools, located in the Atlanta suburbs.
Roche and Lenoard discussed how the following four aspects of pupil transportation operations can be positively improved by utilizing a transportation management software.
Hazard Identification & Safe Routing
Leonard shared that a big benefit of technology is saving all staff knowledge in a central location to create the safest school bus routes. Information like route changes and road hazards can also be shared to affected drivers quickly.
Roche noted that permanent or temporary “no travel” streets and zones can be blocked off in the software, so all transportation staff are aware.
“Institutional knowledge is the key thing,” Leonard declared.
He added that such knowledge can easily be communicated to substitute drivers if needed. For example, Roche shared that his wife is a school bus driver and has first-hand experience with substituting on routes with little notice when she would have liked to drive the route beforehand to become familiar with it.
“It lets them focus on more important things like student safety,” Roche noted.
For districts with constant construction and new development, narrow roads, or other limitations, transportation staff can work with open street maps (which operate similar to Wikipedia and can be edited) as well as previously input district guidelines to reroute buses to safe routes and stops.
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Bus Stop Placement & Curbside Pick-Up
Leonard shared that this information is crucial as it prohibits transportation staff from placing school bus stops on a street where a known sex offender lives, for instance.
This also helps alleviate parental concerns as such information is readily available on the internet, Roche noted. He added that things like walking paths, street crossings and the presence of sidewalks can be considered on a grade level basis, so the student experience is centered.
The goal, he said, is for transportation staff to reduce the amount of manual labor on small details if the software can do it for them and free them up for bigger picture items.
“Not only are the students safer but we can be more efficient at our jobs,” he said.
Leonard noted that legislation can affect transportation operations, such as when a state law required the reevaluation of school bus crossings along a 40 mph or higher road. Roche confirmed that such a change can be programmed into the software and easily integrated into future route building. He discussed the wisdom of not only using institutional knowledge but also updating it with local knowledge as circumstances, regulations and needs change.
Effective Communication with School Leaders
Leonard shared that software helps keep phone lines open as district administration can look up information on their own. Schools and teachers can track buses out on field trips or athletic trips and provide this information to parents upon request, since parents typically call school offices before they call transportation.
Having this information readily available in the software improves communication and efficiency, Roche agreed.
“It provides [parents] with understanding and reassurance that buses are where they need to be,” he said. “[There’s] a lot of time savings and ease of communication there.”
Roche relayed that transportation software tools would have helped him deal with parent communications as a director of transportation
Leonard noted that an important feature is the filtering that facilitates quickly and accurately sending messages to impacted students, parents and teachers when something like a flat tire occurs. Roche added that pre-prepared, fill-in-the-blank messages can be set up, so caregivers receive accurate information.
Roche talked about a time when it was incorrectly rumored that the school bus was involved in a road crash. Social media was instantly ablaze and calls were flooding in. Good transportation software should allow for targeted messages to be sent to affected parents if an incident occurs, he advised.
He added that student information like allergies and medical conditions can also be added into the software so school bus drivers and monitors can provide the best care for that student.
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Student Behavior Management
Fayette County Public School in Arkansas has implemented seating charts to help student behavior, Leonard said. Males and females sit on opposite sides and younger students sit toward the front of the bus.
“Just like in the classroom, the closer the student is to the adult in the room or the adult on the bus, usually the better that student behaves,” he said.
Seating charts combined with onboard cameras can also help pinpoint vandalism, Roche pointed out. Seating charts, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and technology can be used together to not only improve the quality of the bus ride for students, but also free up the driver to keep their eyes on the road, he noted.
In the case of an emergency, seating charts and tablets can help first responders confirm student identities, Leonard said. Transportation staff or district admin can pull reports on their end to share with law enforcement as well, Roche agreed.
Leonard added that sensitive student notices, like the fact that they shouldn’t be riding the bus, can be sent to drivers through the transportation software rather than over the radio where they could be overheard.
Both presenters agreed that, in the current driver shortages, software helps both regular and substitute drivers act consistently to positively guide student behaviors.