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John Farr
Top Member
USA
642 Posts |
 Posted - 11/23/2003 : 6:52:38 PM
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In my newly adopted district, Newport Mesa (which covers the Cities of Newport Beach and Costs Mesa, which is where they got the name) I'm forming a committee of parents, drivers, site administrators and transportation management to review Newport Mesa USD's existing policies - which is the typical write the student up and wait for the principal to decide the penalty, if any. These drivers deserve better!
I need your help in posting your written district policies, but only if your policy is like my old Oceanside one which empowers the driver by placing the responsibility for discipline, including suspension, with the driver rather than the principal. I've seen many on this site in the past, and I really need everyone's help to get the most current language for our committee.
In return, once we've hammered out a new policy I'll post it here for you all to review.
Thanks in advance for your assistance. |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 11/25/2003 : 06:26:34 AM
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John, congrates on your new adventure. Retirement's too boring, eh?
I'm surprised at the lack of posts to you on this request. There are districts and bus drivers that have the authority they need to keep their buses safe, including the authority to suspend from the bus. I don't have that authority on paper, to suspend students from the bus, but do have the authority to refuse to transport and to request the principal follow automatic suspension agreements. So far, all have done so where my bus is concerned.
That would be last year and the year before. Since no tickets have been written this school year I'm glad I have nothing to report on concerning principal performance, one way or the other.
Based on some dozen years of studying school bus safety, much of it unilaterally and on my own, here are some constants you may already be aware of:
(1) Establishing the bus driver's authority on the bus and maximizing a safe environment directly involves the level of staff trust and support toward their bus drivers. It must be established with the kids that the bus driver is the authority on the bus.
Neither staff or the bus drivers should misuse each other in an attempt to deflect problem kids on the other. Simply put, the bus driver should not call a principal to the bus to chew out the kids - the bus driver should be trained to interact with the kids on the bus. And staff should not ignore or minimize kids refusal to follow the bus drivers directions. It should also be accepted that kids will not respect a school bus driver or any driver effort that staff disrespects.
(2) The goal should be to find an effective way or combination that brings the most defiant kids to a level of conduct adequate for a successful bus ride. Whatever strategy is attempted should include a agreement with staff that repeating a strategy will not occur without agreement from the bus driver, and that any bus ticket requires an action beyond a warning alone - parent conference and student written plan might be the minimum on a first bus ticket, but can not be repeated on the second bus ticket.
(3) Teach bus drivers to ask defiant kids questions, rather than make statements. Keep the value judgements in the defiant kid's court.
(4) Agree to what would require an automatic suspension from the bus for an increasing period of time: Physical assault against another student or the driver, defiance toward the bus drive's directions, threats, harrassment, bullying, giving a false name or making a false report, failure to return a courtesy warning, violations like that. Some include guns and weapons, although listing criminal conduct would not seem necessary.
(5) Give the bus driver a variety of options: Move the student to another seat, courtesy warning sent home with the child that must be returned to avoid a bus ticket, refusal to transport, and where it can be achieved the bus driver's authority to suspend students from the bus.
(6) Clean up rules that are easy for kids to manipulate. Change 'no food or drink' (except plain water where aloud) to 'nothing in the mouth', since gum, paper and plastic are neither gum or food.
(7) Teach drivers to identify defiant behavior and to act before leaving the school. 99+ percent of the defiant kids sent off my bus happens prior to departing the school. And, again, this school year it has not been necessary to use this option. Kids on my bus have come to understand that it is a bad idea not to trust their bus driver and his authority to keep the bus a safe environment for kids and adults.
These are rather vague I know. I'm working on a grant that looks at school bus violence and offer effective strategies but that project will not begin until next summer. What I can say now is trained bus driver controlled options to dealing with unruly kids CAN result in no bus tickets or suspensions, but this is a benefit not a goal. Once defiant kids, eventually benefiting by having a successful ride to and from school, and happier bus drivers should be the goal.
You already have a superb model for achievement in school bus driver authority and bus environment/violence prevention intervention from Oceanside. Regardless, I'll dig in my files and find a few providers that use similar strategies. (jk)
Recommendation: RULES AND EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS RIDING THE SCHOOL BUSES
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Edited by - JK on 11/25/2003 12:47:33 PM |
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Student Discipline Policies Needed
