Attorney and consultant Peggy
Burns’ timely new DVD and VHS
training program,
Putting the Brakes
on Harassment: Training for School Bus
Drivers, expertly addresses a topic that
has exploded into the daily experience
of schools this decade.
Issues that once were not a part of
our understanding of harassment,
such as sexual orientation and disability,
are now added to the list of what
we need to be monitoring.
Burns’ program gives drivers an
overview of their responsibilities and
the law, while emphasizing the importance
of knowing and following local
policy and procedures.
“Doing nothing is always the wrong
response” is a mantra that Burns repeats
throughout the video. She encourages
drivers and attendants who
are worried whether they will do the
right thing to follow their instincts
— use common sense. If something
seems like it is making one of their
students uncomfortable, they should
take the time to discreetly find out
what’s happening.
One of the key understandings
Burns shares is that we must view harassment
not from our own perspective,
but from the perspective of the
student on our bus. Is it unwelcome to
him or her? That is the key.
To make the topic relevant for bus
drivers and attendants, Burns frames
harassment as both a transportation
issue and an education issue. She explains
that a bus where students are out
of control is certainly a safety issue and
is also a place where harassment might
be hard to notice. From an educational
perspective, students who are harassed
on the bus cannot focus on school work
as they relive their experiences from the
bus or worry about the trip home.
Throughout the 28-minute presentation,
Burns shares experiences, scenarios,
court cases and law while mixing
in humor. The presentation is set
in a training class with Burns as the
instructor. She is interacting with the
driver and attendant participants
through lecture and by taking and responding
to questions.
The program comes in DVD or VHS
(or both) format and includes a brief
Discussion Guide/Trainer’s Manual
as well as a two-sided handout that
can be copied for participants.
The Discussion Guide is not a lesson
plan; it offers, as the name implies, discussion
questions and background information
for the trainer on each question.
These questions follow the flow
of topics in the video. This is a subject
that will foster discussion easily — you
probably won’t get through all the questions
in a two-hour training session.
The Trainer’s Manual is a great resource
for developing a solid background
on this issue and for understanding
it from an administrative and
liability perspective.
From a teaching perspective, I would
suggest that the trainer consider stopping
the video after Burns finishes
each topic and raising the corresponding
discussion questions. Breaking up
Burns’ presentation into subtopics will
give participants time to focus on each
topic separately instead of waiting to
the end and then trying to process all
of the content at once. As I mentioned
before, you will probably not make it
through all the questions.
One way to enhance the learning
from this program would be to post
one question in the drivers room each
week and then schedule a time during
the coming week when you can sit
down as a group and discuss it. These
sessions could also be used for brainstorming
how to deal with situations
that drivers or attendants might bring
for discussion (without using any
names, for confidentially).
The point of a program like this is
not to show it once to the staff and then
check Harassment off the “CYA” list,
but rather to get the ideas presented
into the minds and hearts of the great
folks we have transporting our children.
Burns does a great job framing
the issue; it is up to you to provide the
repetition necessary to make it a part of
the everyday worldview of your staff.
To watch a preview of the video and
to order, go to www.educationcompli
ancegroup.com.
Ted Finlayson-Schueler is president of Safety Rules!
in Syracuse, N.Y.