The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office

School Bus Driver Presentation

Bullying on the School Bus

Given by Victim Advocate Melissa Kunz and Deputy Sheriff Lawrence Wynn

March 30th, 2011

What is Bullying?

"A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself."

- Dan Olweus, creator of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

Types of Bullying

1.Verbal bullying including derogatory comments and bad names2. Bullying through social exclusion or isolation3. Physical bullying such as hitting, kicking, shoving, and spitting4. Bullying through lies and false rumors5. Having money or other things taken or damaged by students who bully6. Being threatened or being forced to do things by students who bully7. Racial bullying8. Sexual bullying9. Cyber bullying (via cell phone or Internet)

Why Students Bully

1. Students who bully have strong needs for power and (negative) dominance.2. Students who bully find satisfaction in causing injury and suffering to otherstudents.3. Students who bully are often rewarded in some way for their behavior with material or psychological rewards

Impact of Bullying

• Depression

• Low self-esteem

• Health problems

• Poor grades

• Suicidal thoughts

Nationwide, school buses are the

SECOND most frequentlocation of bullying

behind the playground.

Why do Bullies Pick the School Bus?

For bullies interested in picking on their peers, the school bus is an ideal location. Supervision is

generally minimal - before boarding the bus, the hectic rush of activity makes small bullying tactics hard to notice, and while on the bus, the only adult may be

the driver, who cannot react to every incident because he or she is operating the vehicle. Because the bus is

a small, closed space, victims of bullying have no place to retreat to, and they often have no choice but

to ride the bus, making them easy and regular targets. This makes students vulnerable to intimidation and physical abuse on the bus. Parents, teachers and

other students need to be aware of these problems and how to prevent them for the safety of everyone on

the bus.

The Dangers of Bus Bullying

While there is no doubt that bullying is dangerous to the student being tormented - in addition to physical harm,

constant bullying tactics can damage a child's confidence, self-esteem and other personality traits -

bullying is dangerous to everyone in the vehicle. Because of the close quarters, other students can easily be drawn into the action, either as additional victims or

succumbing to the peer pressure to be a bully themselves. Severe bullying can distract the bus driver,

increasing the risk of vehicular accidents that can severely injure students, other motorists and

pedestrians. Bullying can also disrupt students' education by making them fearful of going to school and

forcing them to focus on the intimation rather than learning.

On the Bus Bully Lookout

Signs of School Bus Bullying

• Fear of going to school, bus stopor riding the bus.

• Habitually delaying or otherwisedeliberately trying to miss the bus.

• Continually asking for rides toschool.

More Signs of School Bus Bullying

• Finding excuses to ride with friends

instead of the bus.

• Ripped clothes, missing possessions, or signs of physical abuse that a teacher or bus driver is unable to report happening in class or on the bus.

It is estimated thatnearly ONE IN FIVE

students is subjectedto school bus bullying.

A Parent's Perspective

My daughter was bullied during her 4 years inhigh school. Apparently other students didn’tlike her hair style and that she dresseddifferently than they did. She didn’t have anyfriends so was mostly by herself, which seems to be a good target for students that want to bully. She did notice that most of the time the bullies were not alone, they always traveled with a friend or friends. I don’t believe they would bully other students if they too were bythemselves.

Parent’s Perspective Continued

Bullies seem to get some type of reward outof seeing that they have broken you.

Sometimes my daughter was able to turn thetable on them by just giving them an

intimidating look, a couple of times the friend of the bully actually said “You better leave her

alone and not make her mad”. I guess theywere not sure what she was going to do at

that point.

Scenario 1

Cheryl, Candace, and Alicia are friends and in 7th grade. Cheryl and Alicia live in a trailer park with their families. All

three girls ride the school bus home in the afternoon. Amanda and Sarah, both 8th graders, also ride the same bus in the afternoon. During the fall, Amanda and Sarah start repeatedly calling Cheryl and Alicia “White trailer

trash” and make fun of their clothes and belongings. One day, Candace, frustrated with the on-going treatment of

her friends, shouts at Amanda and Sarah, “Why don’t you two stupid snobs shut up and leave Cheryl and Alicia

alone!” Amanda gets up and hits Candace and says, “You shut up! You’re just a stupid 7th grader. Why do you hang

out with those two trailer trash idiots anyway?” Several students and the bus driver witness this interaction.

What can we do?

Scenario 2My 11 year old son is getting bullied at the bus stop by a

13 yr old. This kid has always been a problem in the neighborhood but his parents do nothing to discipline him. I don't think they really believe their son is doing

anything wrong. He does things to humiliate my son, like come up behind him and steal his backpack or verbally

harass him in front of the other kids. My son doesn't want to make things worse, so he tries to ignore it, but I

know it is getting to him. He says he doesn't want us (his parents) to get involved, but I don't think he can

resolve this on his own. Any suggestions?

What can we do?

Scenario 3My son has just started secondary school and wants to catch the school bus along with his friends. Unfortunately there is one boy in particular who came from a different primary school who seems to have it in for my son and his friends. He calls names, threatens to get them and punches them, takes the school bags and empties them all on the bus. My son can be quite sensitive but was trying to handle it himself. He tried punching back - which is unusual for him - but the boy just punches back harder, he tries not to sit near him and ignores him but the boy simply moves closer as others get

off. I've spoken to the school, as have other parents about this boy, and they have banned him from going upstairs on the bus but

he still goes up there. Apparently he is with an older boy who is "really hard" and that is why everyone is scared to stand up for each other. I expect some messing about on a school bus, kids

without supervision usually do, but when my son comes home with bruises from being punched it is not funny. I have started to pick him up myself this week, but i just feel that the bully has won and

is still getting the bus and my son can't.

What can we do?

Everyone’s Children"Each of us must come to care about everyone else's

children. We must recognize that the welfare of our children and grandchildren is intimately linked to the welfare of all other people's children. After all, when

one of our children needs life-saving surgery, someone else's child will perform it. If one of our

children is threatened or harmed by violence, someone else's child will be responsible for the

violent act. The good life for your own children can be secured only if a good life is also secured for all

other people's children."  - Dr. Lilian G. Katz, psychologist and educator

Sources• http://www.olweus.org/public/bullying.page

• http://www.pinellas.k12.fl.us/SDFS/files/49CB192577074FB8B7F5C15C283E0125.pdf

• http://hrc.vermont.gov/sites/hrc/files/pdfs/harassment%20docs/harassment_bullying_scenarios.pdf

Sources Continued• http://forums.familyeducation.com/discuss/

behavior-school/bullying-bus

• http://www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/children-parenting-190/bullying-42/500299-bullying-school-bus.html

• http://www.zona-pellucida.com/importance3.html

End of Presentation