Fort Bend ISD bus drivers and monitors completed hands-on active threat response training the week of Aug. 4, learning how to protect students during emergencies before the first day of school Tuesday, Aug. 11.

The new program, called S.T.A.R.T. (School Transportation Active Threat Response Training), puts transportation employees through scenario-based exercises that simulate crisis situations on a school bus. FBISD transportation leaders said the district is the only one in the area currently providing the training to its staff, according to a district article published Aug. 10.

Anthony Sims, executive director of transportation for Fort Bend ISD, said the training gives employees tools for situations everyone hopes never happen.

"We all hope that we never have to use any of these skills," Sims said. "But it is a skill that now we can have in our toolbox."

The eight-hour S.T.A.R.T. curriculum covers five areas: legal responsibilities, threat recognition, juvenile behavioral intelligence, crisis de-escalation and active threat response. The program was founded in 2015 by Jim Levine, a law enforcement officer and former school resource officer who runs Levine Security Solutions. S.T.A.R.T. co-founder John Zippay, an active-duty police officer, told School Transportation News at a July 10 conference that school buses have become one of the most vulnerable environments in K-12 education because drivers are often the only adults available to respond during a crisis.

Beyond emergency scenarios, the training emphasized recognizing behavioral warning signs, de-escalating difficult situations and building trust with students. Bus drivers and monitors are often the first district employees students see each morning and the last they see before going home.

Sharon Ruffins, a bus driver beginning her 21st year with Fort Bend ISD, said the training reinforced the importance of students speaking up when they notice something unusual. Bus monitor Victoria Sillah, a year-and-a-half veteran who keeps blankets on her bus for students who get cold and calls her riders her "VIPs," said the student connection is central to her work.

The S.T.A.R.T. sessions came alongside the district's annual refreshers in CPR, first aid, student behavior management and transportation procedures.

Families can look up their student's 2026-27 bus route through the district's Bus Route Locator at fortbendisd.gov/BusRouteLocator. Routes were still being updated as of Aug. 3.

Upcoming:

• Tuesday, Aug. 11 — First day of school for Fort Bend ISD students