Tampa, FL

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June 16 — Day One

Members Attending: Barbara Birkenshaw, Janet Brooks, Dr Marilyn Bull, Sherri Cannon, Kerry Chausmer, Diana Dias, Carole Guzzetta, Carol Helminski, Tracey Hewitt, Mike James, Michele Mount, Tim Murphy, Kathleen Studnicka, Deb Trombley, Wanda Vazquez, Tom Vilt, Lorrie Walker, Bob Wall, Lynn Ware

Members Not Present: Amy Edwards, Jeanne Johnson

Welcome and Introductions

Board Chair Michele Mount welcomed the Board, including new 2009–2011 members joining their first in-person meeting. Deb Trombley announced that due to taking a new position at the National Safety Council, this will be her last NCPSB meeting as Secretariat. NSC will appoint a new Secretariat.

Overview of Members' Role Representing Constituencies/Organizations

Mike James, Membership Committee Leader, discussed a renewed focus for Board members to create action items to communicate with constituencies they represent in their Board positions. Mike is also working with Bill Hall to update the Bylaws with motions passed since 2003 that are not in the current Bylaws. Deb Trombley provided the most current version of the Bylaws and will ask Bill Hall to post this version on the web site.

Update: Certification

Kerry Chausmer reported. The number of classes and technicians has remained steady over the past year despite the recession. The recertification rate is 54.2%. Kerry shared a seasonal graph that shows when courses take place. There's a dip as expected in hottest months of summer and coldest months of winter. Kerry reported that the first fee increase in about 5 years will be effective on October 1, 2009.

Almost 700 people have been audited. Audit status is now available in online profiles. The audit process has improved the credibility of the certification system and it has been well-received.

A webinar from Safe Kids and NHTSA about school buses is available on safekidswebinars.org. Technicians and Instructors can now purchase CPS gear in an online store with some proceeds supporting Safe Kids USA.

Update: NHTSA

Carole Guzzetta reported. Many new Traffic Safety Facts have been released recently including NSUBS data. The latest NSUBS study showed 43% usage rate of boosters in the 4–7 age group. NSUBS is a better marker of this rate than NOPUS because this study interviews people, rather than relying on visual observation only. Complete data is on the NHTSA web site.

A CPS Week Planner is coming soon to allow planning through the summer for September CPS Week. Seat Check Saturday is September 12, 2009.

Sherri Cannon reported. She is updating NHTSA's online Inspection Station list. There is now capability to check for Spanish-speaking technicians and events. There may be Disney Train opportunities to promote CPS as the train visits states, and state coordinators are encouraged to work with NHTSA's ad agency.

Cert/Recert Plenary Discussion

Kerry Chausmer reported. This topic is elevated to a plenary discussion so that all Board members can serve as Cert/Recert Committee members. This change in Board function was made to include all members in fulfilling the Board's mission to advise on curriculum and instruction quality.

Discussion/Action Items: Board members signed up for Regions to offer support and assistance for states with recert rates under 50%. This is similar to outreach the Board offered to states during the 2007 curriculum rollout, which the states liked. Kerry will contact Board members with a detailed gameplan before Board members contact the states. Sherri Cannon suggested that Kerry sit on the monthly NHTSA Region CPS Coordinator meeting that Carole Guzzetta organizes. Kerry will do so.

Discussion/Action Items: The Board discussed how to provide education and support to help instructors better teach and manage classes. A list of action items was created that will be assigned to Board members and reported out on Day 2.

Curriculum Plenary Discussion

Lorrie Walker reported. Feedback from the field is positive, the curriculum is seen as more challenging to teach but instructors are seeing better results among students. Lorrie brought five issues to the Board:

1. How to address preventing deaths of children under the age of 1 due to SIDS and co-sleeping rollovers, because some advise using car seats for sleeping. The Child Death Review Board requested that the Board discuss this. Dr. Bull referred to the AAP's Safe Transportation for Children policy that specifies that car seats should be used only for travel, and that children should not be left unattended in car seats, in or outside of the vehicle. Dr Bull, Janet Brooks and Kathy Studnicka will help draft language for Board response to addressing this issue in the curriculum.
2. Regarding children in and around cars, does the curriculum strongly communicate the "unattended, unsupervised" issue, and now that NHTSA is promoting this issue more prominently, should it also be in curriculum. Setting up a safe car seat check event is in the appendix and "kids around cars" is a safety issue at events. The Board agrees that this issue merits more coverage and should be institutionalized in the curriculum from angle of car seat check event safety. Kerry will work on safety, documentation & traffic flow with Tracey Hewitt and Bob Wall. The Board will also communicate this content via CPS Express, Tech Update, state contacts listserv.
3. Harness adjustment. Lorrie wrote language about asking parents to adjust the harness instead of technicians, and requested that Board members review and edit it.
4. The Board viewed a DVD video that shows a car seat checkup from start to finish and discussed whether it could be incorporated in the curriculum. The Board agreed this information is useful for students at the end of the course. The Board recommended to NHTSA that this video be considered for a curriculum revision. Lorrie will explore options and potential small content editions with the producer of the video. The Board agreed the best distribution is to embed it in the curriculum PPTs in a revised Instructor CD.
5. The Board considered adding Harrison's Hope materials to the appendix.

The Board discussed adding "kids in and around cars" information and the impact on length of curriculum and teaching time.

The updated AAP policy on Safe Transportation should be added to the appendix.

Committee Breakouts

Future Development, Special Needs and Membership met to develop action plans for the year.

Committee Breakouts

Diversity, Quality Assurance and Communications met to develop action plans for the year.

June 17 — Day Two

Members Attending: Barbara Birkenshaw, Janet Brooks, Dr Marilyn Bull, Sherri Cannon, Kerry Chausmer, Diana Dias, Carole Guzzetta, Carol Helminski, Tracey Hewitt, Mike James, Michele Mount, Tim Murphy, Kathleen Studnicka, Deb Trombley, Wanda Vazquez, Tom Vilt, Lorrie Walker, Bob Wall, Lynn Ware

Members Not Present: Amy Edwards, Jeanne Johnson

Cert/Recert Committee Plans & Assignments

Kerry will attend a conference call with the NHTSA Region CPS Coordinators. Then she will contact Board members who signed up for Region support.

Discussion/Action Items: The committee proposes 4 projects:

1. Bob Wall will work on the "survivor guide & classroom management kit."
2. Mike James will lead a "how to be better CPS Instructor" PPT project for the Board website.
3. Tape a 30-minute video for the website.
   There is a need to discuss NHTSA/Certifying Body/Board mutual goals, objectives and messaging for these.
4. Top 12 Crazy Instructor Stories. Collect stories through CPS Express and then archive them on the Board website.
   The Board received its first PPT CEU "from the public" for review for the Board website.

Committee Action Plan Reports & Individual Representative Plans

Communication

Deb Trombley reported. The Board discussed having restricted access to the upcoming CPS toolkit in technician profiles on the Safe Kids Certification website, per Bill Hall request. The Board decided that we do not need to restrict access to technicians only. The toolkit can be published on www.cpsboard.org.

Discussion/Action Items: To raise visibility of the Board website, the Board brainstormed these action items:

• Bill Hall provide a monthly update to CPS Express about how many people visit the Board website, in a few sentences each month.
• The Communications Committee can promote a less-visited but valuable page on the Board website along with this report.
• A Board member shares each month why they are on the Board, their motivation for being on Board, or describe a project they are working on, in a "Your Board in Action" feature. Kerry passed around a sign-up sheet for Board members to sign up for a month to write this short CPS Express article.
• Write a CPS Express article that gives concrete examples of feedback, tasks, decisions the Board makes, to share what the Board does to fulfill its mission. Kerry will write a story with a Board member.
• Include a feature called "Notes from the AAP" in Tech Update. Dr Bull and the AAP could provide a quarterly article for Tech Update such as the rear facing longer message, "out of seat when out of car" message, articles that communicate AAP policies.
• Post articles on the Board website where technicians can refer parents to the official AAP language. These policy statements are also in the curriculum appendix.
• Write some a one-pager for technicians to clarify the rear facing issue for parents, in non-technical language to share at a seat check with parents. Kerry suggests that this could consist of quotes — one from AAP, one from SRN, one from SKW, one from NHTSA, one from AAA — that are already published. Kerry will draft this and Dr Bull will review it.
• This one-pager of quotes can be distributed to any MD and health care provider including nurses, ERs, health depts, etc. This could grow to be bigger document for Communications Committee to work on. Lorrie suggests that the Board email the one-pager to the state CPS coordinators and ask them to disseminate to all of their technicians. If this one-pager is well-received, the Board could add more pieces to build a Quotables Series.

Curriculum

Lorrie Walker reported.

Discussion/Action Items: Carole Guzzetta is checking budget and timing for a revised Instructor CD that would include:

• Rear-facing messaging
• Language about not using car seats for sleeping tool outside vehicles; will address infant mortality issue through this messaging
• Possibly embed car seat check video in curriculum.
• Move check-up event safety info to curriculum instead of the appendix.
• In and around issues re: seat belt entanglement, power windows, trunk entrapment, possibly as appendix item.
• The Diversity Committee discussed adding the line art drawings.
• Incorporate necessary edits suggested by the CPST community.

Diversity

Wanda Vazquez reported. The committee suggests that Instructors ask newly-certified technicians who speak languages other than English to provide translations for the line art drawings. The committee asks to put line drawings on the Instructor CD. These line drawings will also be on the Board website. Kerry suggests adding this as a CPS Express article, which Wanda agreed to write, and link to the line drawings on CPS Board website.

The Committee suggests the Board do a survey for technicians who speak English as second language (ESL) to collect their thoughts on taking the CPST class. Are they understanding the class? CPS Express could promote the survey to ESL technicians. Kerry can set up a prepared survey in online software. Wanda will work on Qs and route it through the Diversity Committee for feedback and edits.

• Create survey
• Write promo piece for CPS Express
• Determine who will do analysis of data
• Write follow-up article after analysis

Wanda has been working with Sharon Conrad on translating a Spanish language PPT which might be of interest nationwide. Sherri suggests adding this as a CPST Toolkit resource.

Future Development

Bob Wall reported. Carole and Bob tried to document what the subcommittee has done, but no notes were available. This subcommittee hasn't met in a long time. The subcommittee suggested making Future Development inactive unless there is a need for the subcommittee. Other committees can handle the future through their areas, because all items that Future Development discussed are handled by other committees.

Discussion/Action Items: Lorrie raised a motion to sunset the Future Development subcommittee effective today. Tracey seconded. Motion passed. Deb Trombley will ask Bill Hall to remove this subcommittee from the web site.

Membership

Mike James reported. The Board will change how term end dates are listed on the web site. Term end dates will still be listed for elected positions, and appointed positions will be changed to say "appointed."

Discussion/Action Items: Three positions are rotating off the Board as of 12/31/09 — National Nursing, Diversity, IP/EMS. Membership Committee members edited the membership application. Mike will work with Bill Hall to post the application on the Board website and send email announcement of the Call for Applications. Mike will send Call for Applications announcement to Kerry by June 25 for CPS Express, and have Bill post new member application on Board website on July 1.

The Membership Committee discussed disadvantages of having the Chair and Vice Chair leaving at the same time. Kerry raised a motion to have a 1-year Vice Chair term that evolves into 1-year Chair. Board members can become Vice Chair after being on the Board for minimum of 1 year and must be active Board member starting the January after the vote. Michele seconded. Motion carried. Michele and Kerry will write Bylaw language based on this vote and provide it to the Secretariat.

Quality Assurance

Janet reported. Each committee should provide a member to the QA committee as required by the Bylaws.

Discussion/Action Items: The committee discussed the need for accurate and useful course evaluations. Using the NHTSA course evaluation as a sample, the committee could pick everyone certified nationwide within a specific month to provide a snapshot in time. The committee suggested to survey Lead Instructors too, to analyze variables of running a class and help uncover what does an excellent Instructor do. Kerry suggests reporting results in CPS Express.

The committee proposes that the Board send a letter to the President of AAP, reiterating that there may be confusing messages being shared with parents that are not consistent with the curriculum and NHTSA. The Board reviewed a draft of a letter and suggested edits. An article about this letter's content could also be shared in Tech Update. Carole will request that NHTSA review the letter. Michele will draft the letter and work with NHTSA on final Board language.

Special Needs

Dr Bull reported.

Discussion/Action Items: The committee discussed the Safe Travel for All Children curriculum and does it need to be promoted more? Kerry asks that the class rosters be sent to her.

A new version of Special Delivery is now available on the preventinjury.org website. It is appropriate for parents and hospital staff as an educational tool. A module for NICU training is also available as a 4-hour course for NICU staff only. It covers prematurity, low birth weight and special needs and could be taught by a NICU technician.

There's ongoing concern of product availability for three low volume demand products. Product liability is the major barrier. The Board discussed how to solve this as action items:

• Committee members will talk with legislators with whom they have relationships to see if there is opportunity
• Committee members will contact manufacturers of medical equipment (not child restraint manufacturers)
• For modified harness, publish a peer review article in medical literature that discusses using modified restraint.

The Board raises idea of philanthropic institutions as possibilities for funding to develop products.

Other Business

Carole shared an OP KIDS update. There are three curriculums that are due to be updated. NHTSA decided to develop an "awareness" course that doesn't train how to do hands-on installations, so NHTSA is developing OP KIDS Next Generation into a generic awareness course. Some content is tailored to fire, police, public health, military, and nurse audiences. Curriculum copies will be provided through NHTSA regions and the states. Tim Murphy will explore whether ENA can offer CEUs for nurses.

The Secretariat will identify Board members eligible for Chair and Vice Chair.

The Board discussed a Code of Conduct for Instructors. The Certifying Body will communicate to Instructors that they must abide by this Code of Conduct. Kerry will include an article in CPS Express and will email it to all Instructors.

Kerry suggested to encourage technicians to carry and show their certification cards to parents, the Communications Committee could do a a "Get Carded" campaign.

Regarding the School Bus Certification issue that has been discussed with NHTSA and the Certifying Body, this cannot be added to the technician profile. Instead, NHTSA and the Certifying Body will support School Transportation News' state directory at www.stnonline.com.

Next Board Meetings:

October 1, 2009 from 1–3:00 eastern time, via conference call/webinar

February 2–3, 2010, location to be determined

Meeting adjourned at 2:41 p.m.