A 

group of some 50 West 
Bloomfield School 
District bus drivers and 
bus monitors took part in pilot 
training Feb. 14 offered by the 
district in collaboration with 
The J to improve bus rides for 
students, including those with 
special needs. 
 The session was the third in 
a three-part series put on by the 
school district, the second and 
third of which were facilitat-
ed by The J. 
The program is designed 
to help adults on the bus keep 
their charges comfortable 
and safe while in transit, says 
Stephanie Zoltowski-Siordia, 
director of The J’s Special Needs 
Enrichment Department. 
Shayne Beasley-Young, assistant 
director of the deparment, also 
facilitated the training.
 Zoltowski-Siordia added that 
the de-escalation techniques 
they discussed are effective with 
all students, those with and 
without special needs. 
Bus drivers are often not 
trained for the mental health 
and behavior challenges they 
might encounter along their 
routes, she says. “We’re trying to 
take a proactive approach.
” 
 It was a hands-on, scenar-
io-based training where partic-
ipants practiced implementing 
the resources they’
d been pro-
vided, including a sensory box 

with fidgets and noise-reducing 
headphones, and dry erase 
boards and communication 
rings for students who are non-
verbal or have limited commu-
nication abilities.
Bringing attention to behav-
ioral characteristics bus staff 
might encounter and giving 
them the tools and ideas to cope 
can help make the ride go more 
smoothly, she says. 
“We’re seeing a lot of anxiety. 
We’re seeing a lot of escalated 
students because of sensory-re-
lated challenges,
” Zoltowski-
Siordia says. “There’s a lot of 
difficulty because people don’t 
know how to communicate 
with them the way they under-
stand, so it’s a matter of becom-
ing more aware of their needs 
and communicating with them 
more effectively.
” 
The collaboration between 
The J and the district has result-
ed in several positive develop-
ments, including a core vocab-
ulary board to help nonverbal 
students communicate on 
buses, says Dr. K Smith, director 
of student support services for 
the West Bloomfield School 
District. 
“
As I shared with them, the 
bus drivers and monitors are 
the first people our students 
see … so how they set the tone 
matters,
” she says. “How [the 
drivers and the monitors] sup-

port them will determine how 
their behavior may be once they 
get to school.
”
Smith took the first part of 
the training. The second ses-
sion involved the drivers and 
monitors. On Feb. 14, there was 
follow-up training to ensure 
drivers and monitors are prop-
erly using the tools, including 
calming kits, she says. 

They also discussed how to 
best support parents and build 
camaraderie with teachers.
“There was a disconnect 

between the teachers and the 
bus drivers — little things can 
cause a lot of chaos,
” she says, 
referring to things that might be 
said that could unintentionally 
trigger students. “We talked 
about the tone of our voice, and 
about using language that’s used 
at home and at school, so it can 
be used on the bus as well.
” 
Attendees zeroed in on what 
it might look like to change 
their mindsets and make 
accommodations to allow stu-
dents in certain instances to eat 

Bus drivers learned about using dry erase boards and communication 
rings for students who have limited communication abilities.

The J’s Special Needs Enrichment 
Department schools drivers on how 
to interact with special needs kids.

Special Training 
for Bus Drivers

KAREN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

OUR COMMUNITY

22 | MARCH 7 • 2024 
J
N

The J’s Special Needs Enrichment Department recently trained 50 
West Bloomfield School District bus drivers.

