Carol Bowes, TIMS Coordinator for Person County Schools, recently became only the sixth person in the nation to receive the Certificate of Special Needs Transportation Training sponsored by the National Association for Pupil Transportation.

Carol is an excellent example of someone who has continually seen the need for continuing education and professional development as a way to improve her skills and improve transportation for the students in her home county. In November 2001 she received her Certified Supervisor of Pupil Transportation certification from NAPT.  When the NCPTA started offering NAPT classes at the state conference, Carol took every one that she was able to fit into her schedule. 

When NAPT offered the Special Needs Transportation Certification, Carol was ready to complete the specialized hours required because she had already finished all of the prerequisites at the NCPTA and NAPT conventions. She received final word from NAPT in a congratulatory email on April 18th.

NAPT Executive Director Mike Martin explains the motivation for the program. ”The NAPT Special Needs Training  program was created to encourage individuals involved in school transportation to enhance their knowledge about transporting students with disabilities and promote excellent leadership skills for the community of transportation personnel serving children of all ages with special needs.”

The 32-hour Special Needs Transportation Training can be completed as a stand-alone certificate program or used to its highest impact as an endorsement to one of the existing NAPT professional certifications, similar in concept to the endorsements offered by the federal government’s commercial driver licensing (CDL) program.
Read more about NAPT’s program HERE

Carol Bowes has been employed by Person County Schools Transportation for fifteen years.  She began as part-time TIMS help when her last child entered kindergarten.  Over the years she started helping with the training and renewal of bus drivers’ licenses, substitute bus drivers, and became the Special Needs and Head Start contact in the transportation department. 

Carol has attended the national conference on Transporting Students with Disabilities and Preschoolers for the last several years and the NAPT conferences (whenever she could fit it in around TDTIMS being due on November 1st).  At these conventions she has learned from experts in the student transportation field and also learned from other conference attendees around the country who do the same things we do every single day.  Just talking and associating with other conference participants has helped Carol learn things that she has been able to bring back to Person County school bus transportation.

Person County transportation director Gregg Foushee says “The PCS transportation department is extremely proud of Carol’s accomplishment. She is a true asset to the department. We are fortunate to have Carol’s knowledge and expertise in the area of Special Needs Transportation.”

Carol is married to Tony Bowes and they have four children, seven grandchildren and one on the way.

Congratulations, Carol!!