The Catskill Area School Study Council offers several programs for adults geared around workforce and professional development.
School Bus Driver Safety Refresher
Since 1978, a mandated safety course for school bus drivers has been offered on one evening in the Fall, usually in August, at the SUNY Oneonta campus. A mid-winter refresher program was added in 2003-2004, usually offered in January. Both sessions now include training for attendants, aides and monitors as well.
Advanced Bus Driver 10-Hour Training Course
This CoSer may be offered for the first time in the Fall 2019. It will be held on a consecutive Friday evening and all day Saturday. This course will be approved by the NYS Education department and must be taught by a NYSED approved School Bus Driver Instructor (SBDI). Drivers who successfully complete this course will receive a NYSED Advanced Driver Course certificate and will be eligible for NYS DMV Point/Insurance reduction. Professional development topics to be covered are; current laws and regulations, self-assessment and revisiting the basic operations that will help ensure safe student transport.
30-Hour School Bus Driver Course
This CoSer is offered once a year, usually in the Spring, at the OAOC BOCES in Milford. The course is usually held on Friday evenings and all day Saturday for four-consecutive weeks. This course meets the regulations of the New York State Education Department, which requires that each school bus driver completes a course of instruction in the school bus safety within the first year of employment. The New York State Education Department curriculum is followed and meets section 156.3 regulations. Participants are eligible for point and insurance reduction. Enrollees are awarded a Certificate of Completion by the State Education Department upon successful completion of all requirements.
10-Hour School Bus Monitor Course
This CoSer is offered once a year, usually in the Spring, at the OAOC BOCES in Milford. The course is usually held on a Friday evening and all day Saturday. This course meets the New York State Education Department Regulation 156.3 requirement that all attendants and monitors hired after July 1, 2003 take a 10-hour basic School Bus Monitor and Attendant course within their first year of employment. The instructor follows the New York State Education Department approved curriculum as issued by the Pupil Transportation Safety Institute.
School Boards Institute
A summer/fall workshop is offered annually to school board members and administrators, involving a separate focus at each workshop. The program takes place on the SUNY Oneonta campus. Other workshops are scheduled as the need arises, usually two to three workshops per year.
Educational Office Professional Staff Training
The Educational Office Professional Staff Training Workshop began in 2005. It was developed to provide training to office and administrative staff employed by local school districts, on a wide variety of topics pertinent to their unique position of responsibility within the school system. Examples of topics offers include confidentiality, safety, legal issues, public relations, and professionalism. The program takes place at SUNY Oneonta, either on the campus or at the nearby College Camp.