Last time I checked a bus was an inanimate object. It can’t bully or be bullied.
Whilst it may be true that most bullying incidents involving children occur on a school bus, this should not be read as an attack on school buses. Rather it is the children who must take responsibility for their actions.
Last week I wrote about a school that was changing to a compulsory school uniform to try and eliminate bullying. I argued that bullies wont be deterred from bullying just because of this policy. Similarly, bullies don’t need a bus seat to ply their trade.
To make matters worse, the instructions to bus driver to greet students and learn their names is belittling and highly disrespectful. The role of a bus driver is to drive the bus safely. The role of the passengers is to behave with respect.
A video of students taunting, threatening, and degrading school bus monitor Karen Klein gave millions of people a 10-minute glimpse into a growing bullying epidemic.
Roughly 30 percent of middle school and high school students are bullied, and nearly 10 percent of the abuse happens on the school bus, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
But the problem is likely much worse, since nearly two thirds of the incidents are never reported, the department estimates.
Limited supervision and a confined environment make school buses a hotbed for bullying, a recent Slate article notes.
Insufficient training and bullying policies that don’t address a bus driver’s role only compound the problem, Mike Martin, executive director of the NAPT, said in a presentation last year. To address this issue, the NAPT and Department of Education developed a two-part training program specifically for school bus drivers.
Building a rapport with students by greeting them and addressing them by name can help drivers prevent bullying, according to the training materials. When bullying does occur, the training champions the “See something, do something” mantra, instructing drivers to warn the students and inform school administrators.
Tags: Bullying, Bullying and school uniform, bullying epidemic, Bullying on school busses, Bus Drivers trained to deal with bullying, Education, Karen Klein bus monitor bullying, Mike Martin, school buses a hotbed for bullying, School busses and bullying, U.S. Department of Education
Topical Teaching 
July 9, 2012 at 11:41 pm |
Here’s a video another group of my kids did as part of a PSA campaign currently airing on our FOX affiliate. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWO5ycg_tA0
Here’s the behind the scenes, showing they did everything themselves to help combat these issues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaDXPmZan-M
And linked in the right side bar should be the other PSAs they did, one for the cafeteria and the other for the playground. So-called “hot spots” because they occur in places often out of adult view.
July 9, 2012 at 11:51 pm |
Thanks again Mike!
July 9, 2012 at 11:57 pm |
Relevancy: the first link is about bullying on the bus.
July 10, 2012 at 4:32 am |
Great article – I agree that bullying doesn’t need a bus or a uniform (or lack of). Bullying is a human nature issue.
Not sure how a bus driver knowing names is belittling though – at least they will know who the bully is – or stand a better chance of a correct identification.
July 10, 2012 at 9:35 am |
Thanks Nigel. I just don’t feel that bus drivers should have to be retrained to deal with bullying. Their job is to drive the bus safely.
July 15, 2012 at 7:05 am
Iguess it depends on what is meant by ‘retraining to deal with bullying’. If it means the bus drivers get to know the names of the students, which in turn creates better discpline – i.e. Johnny sit down; and enables better reporting – then I am all for it.
If it means expecting the bus driver to take action every time – then I am with you.