Assign Seating for Misbehaving Students – when a student misbehave, assign them for several days to a ‘time-out’ seat near the driver where can keep them under close supervision. It is the driver’s responsibility to notify students that where they are seated is a privilege. Notify the students of the consequences of misbehavior early.
Assign Seating for the Entire Bus – Assigning seats for all riders can help the driver to learn student names more rapidly, set a tone of behavioral control and turn student seating into a familiar routine rather than a daily free-for-all. Create a seating chart. If after a few weeks the student follow the rules and have positive behaviors, the driver may allow riders to sit where they choose, reminding them that assigned seating will resume if behavioral problems emerge.
Link Bus Behavior to the current School Reward System – Students behavior on a bus will improve if they know that they can earn or lose school incentives as a result of their bus conduct. Explain: Bus behavior is tied to the school reward system.
Invite School Authority Figures for Bus Visits – Routinely invite authority figures to visit the bus and observe the students, encourage them to ride several of the buses in your system. These frequent and periodic visits, should include reminders to the students from the authority figures about appropriate conduct and behavior and the consequences for misbehavior.
Match Interventions to Severity of Bus Behavior – Interventions to address bus misbehavior can be administered more consistently and fairly when those interventions are systematically matched to the seriousness of that misbehavior.
Promote a Positive Bus Environment – Drivers who have frequent positive interactions with students generally experience significant better bus behaviors than drivers who primarily emphasize reprimands and punishments. Interaction should make an effort to maintain a ratio of 3 positive reactions for every reprimand or other disciplinary consequence.
Pull Over to Collect ‘Time Owed’ for Misbehavior – If group behaviors on the bus become unsafe, the driver should pull over and wait until those behaviors are brought back under control “time owed for misbehavior.” The school should inform parents and students that bus drivers are required to pull over whenever they behavior of riders present a safety risk. (i.e.: noise level is too great; riders are moving from seat to seat while the bus is moving.)
Separate Older and Younger Students to Prevent Bullying – Seating older students apart from younger children will reduce the probability that bullying will take place on the bus. It is not uncommon for older students to victimize younger riders on the bus, as they do in school. You can bring the problem under control by separating the riders by grade, requiring that younger students sit in seats reserved at the front and older students sit in the back of the vehicle.
Teach Appropriate Bus Behaviors – Bus riders are more likely to engage in appropriate bus behaviors if they have been explicitly taught those behaviors. At the start of every year, students should have each bus behavior rule explained and demonstrated. If one bus rule is “Remain in your seat while the bus is moving.” For example, the presenter should demonstrate examples of acceptable sitting behavior versus unacceptable sitting behavior. By making a school wide presentation to all students in an assembly and then having drivers briefly remind and review those behaviors on the bus.
Appoint Peer Bus Helpers – Older students can practice valuable service-industry career skills and provide useful assistance to drivers by serving as bus helpers to younger students. Older students can develop valuable service-industry career skills and provide useful assistance to drivers by serving as bus helpers to younger students, very similar to “Crossing Patrol.”
What to do if something occurs on your bus
When incidents occur on the bus drivers should follow procedures as laid out by school district policies and bus company procedures.
- Avoid Conflict, if at all possible.
- In the event that a rider is seen, may be in possession of a dangerous weapon remain calm. Remember the other passengers on your bus may become injured if a confrontation occurs.
- Drive calmly, and notify school administrators, dispatch or local police following your appropriate guidelines.
- Be prepared that their may be a need to drive the bus to a safe place, such as a police station, firehouse or nearest school. Your first concern would be in the safety of your passengers and getting any dangerous weapons off of the bus.
- In the event a conflict occurs aboard the bus, act quickly, stop the bus in a safe location, if a weapon is involved evacuate non-involved students out of the front and back doors of the bus.
- Intervene, only where your safety is not in jeopardy. First try, shouting at the participants, announce that the police have been called. As the driver remain calm, talk in a firm manner, and not threaten the student or passenger if they have weapon.
Drivers have the right to protect students from attack. However, this situation is the most likely to cause injury to the driver or students. In the event a student has a weapon the probability is scared and not thinking clearly.
In the event a driver is being attacked by a student, any person has the right to defend him or herself as necessary. Most state laws allow the use of only the amount of force necessary to overcome the attacker. The “reasonable person” rule then comes into play. What would a reasonable person do in the same situation?
If a mature student were seriously threatening a driver with a club, the driver might spray the attacker with the fire extinguisher in order to escape. But, if the driver is being hit by the club and serious injury is likely, the driver also might hit the attacker with the fire extinguisher. Several factors come into play with this scenario, including the age of the student, the weapon being used, your physical capabilities or limitations and the risk of injury to yourself.
The number one point drivers need to remember is that they should act quickly, without delay, especially when a student’s health and safety are involved. Notify authorities immediately.
