The “Not-So-Magic” School Bus

It’s that time of year again, the end of summer and time for our kids to go back to school.  As parents we are excited for our kids to head back to school, back to learning and sharing the overall experience of another year of school, but for some of us, we feel anxiety and are apprehensive because of what we know our kids may deal with in the new school year.  I am talking about “Bullies”!  Bullies are everywhere, in school, online, and according to most students I talk to, on the school bus.  I call it the “Not-So-Magic” school bus.

Too often we hear about accidents involving school transportation vehicles.   According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, from 2003 to 2012, 55 school-age children died in school-transportation related crashes.  A large number of those accidents happened because the drivers were distracted by issues between kids on the bus. The U.S. Department of Education says that one-third of U.S. students ages 12 through 18 reported being bullied in some form. Of those, 10% said they were bullied on the school bus.  It seems like kids who want to pick on others like the bus because there is really no place to hide and those on the bus are there because there is no other choice for them to get to school every day. 

One little boy told me he started to make up excuses to tell his Mom so he wouldn’t have to go to school because he didn’t want to take the bus.  An older student was picking on him and he was scared.  He even took longer in the bathroom in the mornings so he would be intentionally late and miss the bus.  When his mother noticed that there were new school supplies and other “back-to-school” purchases missing from his backpack, she went right to the school after he confirmed her suspicions.  He enjoys riding the bus now and feels safe and excited to be with his friends.

Keeping your child safe while riding to and from school is extremely important to all of us.  Here are a few suggestions to make sure your kids are safe and sound. 

• Sit near the driver.  Bullying hardly ever happens at the front of the bus.
• Sit with other kids they know and can help look after them.  Sometimes an older neighborhood kids can be a personal “bus buddy” and make sure they get on and off the bus safely.  
• Always encourage the student to report bullying to a trusted adult that will be able to help with the issue and put an end to it or find another solution.  Reporting incidents will give the bus company and the school a better idea of what is happening and how often. 
• Make sure the kids know they are NOT tattle-tales if they tell but reporters doing their jobs to make school and the bus a safe place.  Finally don’t blame the victim and always avoid encouraging retaliation or physically fighting back. 
• Focus on the victim and help them solve their issue.  They will develop more confidence when they realize they handled their own problem and see the successful results.

I hope you all had a great summer and will have a happy and healthy school year.  

by Heather S., Education Director