DISPATCH
What ’ s next : This fall The Road Show will head to Nashville , Tennessee , to build upon what we began earlier this year . The Road Show is an intimate event , designed to uncover our industry ' s mutual pain points , align our insights , and address the common issues that we all face . The fall Road Show will feature in-depth conversations , offering industry leaders a greater understanding of innovative and actionable operational practices ; there will be a total of five sessions offered over the course of three days together :
• Emergency preparedness and response
• Purchase and utilization of electric school buses
• The impact of new federal policies on school transportation
• Data-driven driver recruitment and retention
• A formula for specialized transportation decisions at IEP team meetings , presented by Dr . Linda F . Bluth
Each session will feature smaller group case study discussions followed by a debrief with the larger group of event attendees . Don ’ t get lost in the crowd . Be in the room . Registration will open soon so stay tuned for more important details !
compensatory services to students with disabilities and that there will be transportation-related impacts resulting from those services . That makes this a good time for transportation leaders to be engaged with their school leadership so that you are a part of any overall solutions that the district prepares and implements . Upcoming NAPT Events : This October at the Nashville Road Show , Dr . Linda Bluth will present a formula for specialized transportation decisions at IEP team meetings . You won ’ t want to miss Dr . Bluth ’ s presentation , it will offer timely and relevant information on this very vital topic ; registration for the NAPT Nashville Road Show is set to open this week ! Check your inboxes and our respective social media channels for complete information . For our members , previous webinars on the subject can be found on the members only section of the NAPT website .
Words of caution on special education
The U . S . Department of Education has reached an agreement with one of the nation ’ s largest school districts related to their failure to provide services promised in their IEPs to students with disabilities during the COVID pandemic . The Los Angeles Unified School District was ordered to review the IEPs and Section 504 plans for more than 66,000 affected students and to provide compensatory services to support the students in their education . This action is consistent with the message that the Department has stressed during the pandemic that services to students with disabilities had to be met despite the challenges districts faced as a result of COVID . In fact , the Department issued such information and warnings to schools as recently as February in a guidance letter to all school systems . The Department indicated that it is conducting similar reviews in other school districts across the nation . What should we do in our operations ? First , we encourage you to read both the Education Department ’ s February guidance document as well as the basics of the Los Angeles district ’ s agreement with the federal government . There are always important elements to be learned in reading such source documents . We all understand that transportation services are a key element in the potential for success for students with special needs . As a result , it is likely that some districts will incorporate their own range of
EPA clarifies funding on Clean School Bus Program
The United States Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) anticipates it will begin accepting applications for Clean School Bus Rebates in May 2022 . While some media outlets are reporting that the EPA is reducing the amount of funding the first year of the Clean School Bus Program , SBR has received clarification from the EPA that there is still $ 1 billion available . However , in the event that there is not enough demand within the first year , the agency is setting aside half of the funding until next year . The funding will be safeguarded until next year and will still be distributed this year providing there is enough demand The application period to obtain the funds was to begin in late April but is now expected to open in May and will reportedly remain open for three months . Applications will not be based on a first-come , first-served basis but instead , will be placed into a lottery . Priority applications are defined as high-need school districts and low-income areas . The EPA will select at least one application per state or territory provided there is at least one eligible application , to ensure a broad geographic distribution of funds .
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