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Is school bus discipline a problem in your school? Two school bus discipline policies available on the Web might serve as effective models.
Isn't school bus duty one of teaching's (or principal-ing's) great joys?
By the end of the school day, students are eager to get home -- and school
staff are eager to get them out the door!
And once the kids are safely on the bus, they're out of your mind. Right?
Wrong.
Getting kids home -- all the way home -- doesn't end with the
final bell of the school day.
Once students are on their buses, they might be out of your control
-- but they are still your responsibility. After the bus pulls out of
the school parking lot, the bus driver is in command. But, as many educators
are well aware, drivers often need the support of school administrators
in getting their passengers home safely.
And many school administrators have found that a strong, well-thought-out
-- and enforceable -- bus discipline policy is the only way to "travel."
A CODE OF CONDUCT FOR BUS RIDERS
Robert Ewart, assistant principal at Murray Avenue School in Huntingdon
Valley, Pennsylvania, was the force behind creating that school's Bus
Safety Code, unveiled last March.
"It was the first time that we'd put the behaviors we expect on the
school bus in writing," Ewart says. "The policy delineates the expected
behaviors, and it delineates the specific consequences of each misbehavior."
"Bus drivers can see a difference, administrators and teachers can see
a difference, and the students seem happier because they're more comfortable
when riding the bus," adds Murray Avenue School principal Thomas Wittkamp.
Behavior problems on the school buses were the motivation behind the
new policy.
"We worked closely with the school bus drivers in developing the policy,"
Ewart adds. "We considered the incidents that were most frustrating for
drivers when we were putting it together."
A "POSITIVE" POLICY
The emphasis of the new school bus discipline policy is on the positive
and on safety, Ewart explains. The policy isn't called a bus "discipline"
policy, it's called the "bus safety code." And the code is worded in positive
terms, with the emphasis on "behaviors we expect," not "misbehaviors."
In that sense, the code reflects a school-wide push for positive behaviors
and universal values such as responsibility, respect, and citizenship.
Expected bus behavior is broken down into three levels. At each level,
the consequences for misbehavior are spelled out in detail. For example:
Level I behaviors include being seated when the bus is moving.
Failure to follow that rule will result in one or more consequences, including
a warning, an assigned seat on the bus, or a one- to three-day after school
detention.
Level II behaviors include "Do not hit, punch, or kick" and consequences
include one or more of the following: a two- to five-day after school
detention, a one- to five-day bus suspension, or a one- to three-day
school suspension.
Level III behaviors include the possession or use of matches or lighters
and consequences include a five-day or longer bus suspension, a three-
to ten-day school suspension, expulsion from school, or contact with
police or district justice.
All misbehaviors include parental notification.
"Knowing what is expected, and knowing the consequences of school bus
misbehavior, is essential to the success of any bus safety code," says
Ewart. "It makes my job easier too."
THREE! THREE CODES IN ONE!
This year, each student at Murray Avenue School received a handbook
that includes three school codes -- the bus safety code, a computer conduct
code, and the school's new discipline code (introduced this year and modeled
after the bus safety code). All kids were introduced to the codes and
were asked to sign a "contract" that indicates they'd read and understood
them.
Then, on Parent's Night, parents were given the students' handbooks.
Then parents took the handbooks home with them for reference. Should the
handbook be misplaced, the contents of the school's Bus
Safety Code can be found on the Murray Avenue School Web page, along
with the other elements of the school's Code of Conduct.
"This is a team effort," Ewart adds. "Parent involvement and support
are very important."
Has the code been used?
"We've had to use the code a number of times, especially for Level 1
offenses," Ewart says. "But the number of problems on school buses is
way down. And so far this year we've had zero problems."
"Since the bus safety code went into effect last March we haven't had
to suspend anyone's bus riding privileges," he adds.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE
RESPONSIBLE FOR 37,000 BUS RIDERS?
Half a country away, in Anoka, Minnesota, Chuck Holden watches over
the safety of 37,000 students each day. Holden is Transportation Director
for Anoka-Hennepin District No. 11, a school district that includes 13
municipalities spread over 176 square miles!
The district's School
Bus Discipline Policy, which has been in effect since 1987, has attracted
lots of attention as a model policy. The policy highlights Class I and
Class II offenses, each with its own consequences.
"The policy has helped everyone involved -- students, parents, drivers,
teachers, and school administrators," says Holden.
"Before 1987," Holden says, "the school bus policy was a little vague.
We were experiencing problems because discipline problems on school buses
were being handled inconsistently. The policy has greatly reduced the
inconsistencies."
"But discipline problems on the buses will never go away entirely,"
he adds.
In 1994, the state of Minnesota mandated bus safety education. All parents
in the Anoka-Hennepin district must sign and return a note to their child's
classroom teacher saying that they went over the bus safety rules with
their child, Holden explains.
"We don't have parents calling to complain anymore," he adds.
And overall discipline has improved.
"We've seen a drop in the number of discipline problems," says Holden.
"But with 37,000 kids riding our buses each day we still hand out several
hundred one- to three-day suspensions each year. A suspension will usually
resolve the problem. Each year we handle just a few of the most serious
offenses."
Officials meet monthly to review issues of bus discipline and bus safety,
Holden adds. And a yearly meeting is set aside for the purpose of reviewing
the discipline policy. In addition, drivers participate in special in-service
programs focused on handling situations that require discipline.
"That has helped more than just having the policy," says Holden.
"Let's not forget that riding the bus is a privilege, not a right,"
he adds. And the district's policy helps to "drive home" that point to
37,000 students and their parents.
From time to time, Education World reposts a previously published article that we think might be of interest to administrators. Before reposting, we update all links and add new resources to the articles. We hope you find this archived article to be of value…