Local bus drivers equiped for bullies

Research from the National Center for Education, Evaluation and Regional Assistance indicates that, while 52.2 percent of the nation’s roughly 550,000 bus drivers believe that bullying is a serious problem on their school buses, two-thirds of the incidents go unreported. Research also shows that the older the students are, the less likely they are to report such incidents.

Many states, such as Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Maryland, Iowa and Arkansas, have used the training materials and are seeing positive results, according to the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT).

In the Anne Arundel, Calvert and Howard county school systems there is annual training for bus drivers. In Anne Arundel County, bus drivers undergo a program on bullying as part of their recertification and training, according to Robert Mosier, school public information officer. They use part of the information from the U.S. Department of Education as well as information from their Office of Professional Growth and Development. Howard County bus drivers get similar training each year with a component on bullying, according to David Ramsay, director of transportation for the school system.  In Calvert County, all employees including bus drivers, take an online training on bullying that includes how to recognize it and how to report it, according to Gail Bennett, public information officer for the school system.

To access free materials, visit http://safesupportiveschools.ed.gov.