One of the hottest topics in schools today is bullying. Bullying and how to combat bullying is something that every school has to deal with. Making students feel safe at school is the first step to a great learning environment. But, fighting bullying goes beyond the classroom. Combatting bullying begins with making the school bus a bully-free environment.
Bullying on the school bus
The school bus can help students bond and build friendships. But, unfortunately, the school bus can also be a place where students get bullied. Communities, teachers, and parents need to come together to make sure that when their kids step onto that yellow bus in the morning, they are walking into a bully-free environment. And, if any bullying should occur, the school bus driver needs adequate training in how to intervene and handle incidents of bullying.
Intervening in bullying behavior
Bullying is a nationwide problem. The more we can teach students, teachers, parents, and school bus drivers about how to prevent and intervene in bullying behavior, the more likely we are of stopping bullying before it becomes dangerous. The National Center for Safe Supportive Learning Environments has come up with a program to help school bus drivers stop bullying on the school bus.
Bullying prevention training toolkit for school bus drivers
Creating a Safe and Respectful Environment on Our Nation’s School Buses is a training toolkit specifically designed for school bus drivers. You may think that a bus driver can’t do much about bullying since they are concentrating on driving the bus, and facing the opposite direction. But, there are ways that the school bus driver can help make the bus a safe and bully-free environment.
- Say Something, Do Something – the first step to combat bullying is to say something! Silence is allowing a bully to keep bullying, and we need to empower bus drivers and students to speak up against bullies in an effective manner.
- Supportive Bus Climate – the second step is to put in place effective strategies to encourage a supportive school bus climate, and create a space where bullying is less likely to occur.
School buses for your district
We can help you find and purchase the safest fleet of school buses for your district. School buses can be designed to meet your specific needs to provide the best transportation for your students. Once you have your fleet of buses, it’s up to you to help create a bully-free environment for students.