Conference Agenda

The Transportation Director Summit at the TSD Conference is a brand-new experience designed exclusively for transportation directors. Join peers for two days of high-impact networking and idea-sharing, beginning Wednesday, November 4 at the Embassy Suites Dallas-Frisco Hotel and Convention Center and continuing Thursday, November 5 at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa ahead of the main conference. Attendees will gain fresh insights from industry experts and walk away with practical strategies to lead with innovation and confidence. Both day attendance is required. Transportation and lunch will be provided on Thursday, November 5.

Applications will be reviewed upon submission, and our team will follow up with confirmation. A pre-event survey must be completed in advance to participate.

The Champoins Code:

Speaker: Ross Berntein

Description: What distinguishes the truly exceptional athletes in the realm of sports.  Discover how to harness effective leadership strategies in school transportation that are applicable both in competitive scenarios and in everyday life.

For Main Conference Attendees Only

Enjoy a fun evening of networking with school transportation professionals with food and drinks on the driving range!

The Child Passenger Safety on School Buses National Training provides an overview of the use of child safety restraint systems on school buses, with a focus on preschool aged children and children with disabilities. Instructional videos are incorporated throughout the training. Participants are provided time for hands-on practice with guidance from skilled staff members. Nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians will earn 3.5 continuing education units (CEUs) for course completion.
This seminar is available to as an add-on to Main Conference registration, or can be taken by itself.
(Maximum of 50 participants. Separate registration and fees required.)

Location: Frisco 1

Keynote Speaker: Patrick Mulick

Description: If our students are going to navigate the world as more independent adults, we must start building the bridge to autonomy today—and that bridge begins the moment they step onto the bus. Across the country, many districts are grappling with an over-reliance on 1:1 adults. While these positions are utilized with the best of intentions to ensure safety and stability, an intensive adult presence can unintentionally limit a student's growth and create significant operational and sustainability challenges for transportation departments. In this dynamic and content-rich keynote, school district administrator Patrick Mulick leads a systems-level discussion on rethinking how we support students during the most critical transitions of their school day. This session offers transportation directors, supervisors, and district leaders a practical blueprint for building sustainable support systems that prioritize student agency over adult proximity.

At this training, student transporters will learn to train with AMF Bruns’ recently launched automatic and self-tensioning Silver Series retractors. With this course, school transportation professionals will be provided the tools to support and teach their teams proper safety techniques, which included hands-on training. The key objective to this course include: Overview of equipment, Securing the wheelchair, Securing the occupant with a different variety of occupant securements, Understanding your vehicle floor anchorages, WC 18 and WC 19 and understanding the regulation; identifying a WC 19 wheelchair, Raising awareness about risks of not properly securing passengers, Deboarding passengers, and Passenger sensitivity/etiquette.
Certification will be provided upon completion of this course.

This seminar is available to Main Conference Attendees but requires separate registration at no extra charge. Class size is limited to 75 participants.

Description: Join this dynamic session to get all "the foundation" you need!
By the conclusion of the session participants will understand: The basic laws and regulations as they relate to transporting students with disabilities; Definitions used routinely in Special Education Transportation; The IEP Process; General operations guidelines and best practices; Where to go for resources on mandated services
Plus: our panel of operational experts will provide answers to all your challenging difficult special needs transport questions. 

IDEA was passed in 1975 making schools national leaders in providing equal services for the disabled community. However, today, over 40 years after its passage, school transportation providers are still consistently struggling to safely transport some students with disabilities and to secure the most difficult mobility devices. While wheelchair securement equipment has improved dramatically during this timeframe, even today there are hundreds of wheelchairs on the market which are not designed to be transported.

In this presentation we’ll explore the factors that have contributed to this dynamic, provide extensive troubleshooting practices for difficult mobility devices and occupant securement situations, and offer recommendations- based on our more than 35 years of industry experience- that can help school districts and transportation providers greatly reduce the risk these devices pose to the safety of their students and the liability of the district.

Note: This an advanced course designed for experienced transportation directors, supervisors, and trainers who can help implement the troubleshooting techniques and best practice recommendations within their district. It is strongly recommended that attendees have extensive previous wheelchair securement experience.

(Maximum of 35 participants. Separate registration is required.)

You're invited to join us at the Safety & Technology Product Demonstration / Special Needs Ride & Drive Experience! This exciting event will showcase the latest innovations in green school buses and sustainable transportation solutions. Major school bus OEMs and technology companies will be on hand to display their cutting-edge products, from electric and propane school buses to dynamic routing solutions plus the latest in safety tech will be on display. As an attendee, you'll have the unique opportunity to explore these green buses, safety solutions and new technology firsthand.
Don’t miss the chance to engage with industry experts, discuss the future of sustainable transportation, and gain valuable insights into transitioning to cleaner, greener, and more efficient transportation options.
Drinks and food with be served.

Join student transportation experts in a classroom setting to review best practices for a successful emergency evacuation of students with disabilities and preschooler, followed by an exercise on a school bus that mimics a real-life route that is servicing students with various physical disabilities as well as younger riders. Complicating the exercise will then be the introduction of fake smoke on the bus to hinder the visibility of attendees as the practice evacuating the “children” during a fire. The instructors will time the participants on how quickly they can evacuate the bus. The seminar will provide instruction on the proper evacuation of students who ride in wheelchairs and who use various child safety restraint systems. Tools used by participants will include evacuation and fire blankets, belt cutters and more.
Lunch and transportation provided.

This seminar is available as an add-on to Main Conference registration.
Registration and fees required. Maximum of 32 participants per class.

Keynote Speaker: Julie Weatherly

Description: Litigation in the area of special education has been increasing exponentially over the past few years.  By examining real-world legal scenarios with court decisions, this session is designed to equip participants with knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of providing safe and equitable transportation for all students while remaining aware of potential legal vulnerabilities.  Discussion of recent court decisions and their implications will include hot topics such as personal injury-type money damages in special education cases, student discipline issues, transportation as a related service, and service animal requests.

Description: The session addresses common misconceptions about the d/hh community, highlights challenges in transportation accessibility, and shares solutions for safer, more inclusive transit systems. Participants will explore strategies for integrating ASL into regular transportation training and discuss ideas on how to collaborate with their district’s special education department. Together, we will practice routine ASL phrases to foster relationships and safety for all.

Speaker: Glenna Wright-Gallo