Demonstration to Address Special Needs and Student Behavior on School Buses

Description:
The mission of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an operating administration of the Department of Transportation (DOT), is to save lives, prevent injuries and reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes, through education, research, safety standards and enforcement activity. NHTSA supports a coordinated approach in:
• Researching and demonstrating pilot, promising and evidence-based strategies to encourage positive traffic safety behaviors;
• Planning, disseminating, and executing countermeasures to support program activities; and
• Providing outreach, guidance, and support to enable others to conduct effective local highway safety programs.
The purpose of this project is to conduct a demonstration project, develop a program strategy and institutionalize a process for identifying and implementing effective strategies to address student behavior (misbehavior and standees) that cause risk to the safe transportation of children to and from school including higher risk populations such as children with special needs. This strategy will include the development of educational materials and resources focused on pupil transportation safety for high-risk populations.
Materials will be developed using available data from NHTSA and other credible sources, current information, and subject matter expertise. The Contractor would then use its vast network of school educators and administrators to disseminate the materials to directors of transportation, school bus drivers, schools, teachers and, the public across the United States.
• Developing a program on student behavior and the impact of misbehavior and standees relating to safety on a school bus.
• Complete a demonstration project on the developed program to assess effectiveness.
• Develop educational materials and resources focused on pupil transportation safety, special needs transportation and proper behavior on school buses.
• Identify barriers for communities of color or other underserved and marginalized communities face with regard to behavior and standees on school buses.
• The Contractor shall promote traffic safety that will assist in reducing or eliminating fatalities and injuries in and around school buses.