What are you doing to prevent bullying on the bus?

National Bullying Prevention Month appears to be in full swing this first full week of October as pupil transportation professionals step up with programs like Seon’s anti-bullying coloring contest and Student Transportation Inc.’s Operation: Bully Free Buses campaign. Hopefully, programs like this have and continue to encourage other industry businesses and school districts to put a spotlight on this problem and do more to try to prevent it.

Gary Mullis, director of services at the Cedarwood GNETS (Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support) program in Baxley, Georgia, is one of those professionals inspired by one of these programs to create an anti-bullying program for his school system. He created “Bullying Prevention Week 2014 National Campaign STOMP Out Bullying,” and contacted SCHOOL BUS FLEET about downloading the coloring sheet for Seon’s contest so he could for the first time get his students involved in an activity that addresses bullying.

Mullis told me he works with nine school districts with students with emotional and behavioral disorders, and serves a total population of about 150 students, K-12. While he was putting together this program, he came across Seon’s coloring contest and wanted to include it in the program offerings. Too often, Mullis said, the students are left out of normal school activities and they deserve to participate in some of them.

And next week, they will get that chance. Mullis now has a full week planned with activities centered around bullying and bullying prevention. Cedarwood GNETS’ Bullying Prevention Week will take place Oct. 14-17. Activities include a discussion about bullying, victims and bystanders; viewing YouTube videos about bullying; participating in Seon’s coloring contest, and filling out other coloring and activity sheets.  

He hopes that students will get involved, participate in Seon’s contest, and get some acknowledgment.

“I hope that at least one or more of our students will take an active part in this great opportunity and possibly be recognized for doing something good,” Mullis said.  

We’d like to know if your district or company is doing anything special to commemorate National Bullying Prevention Month. Please share in the comments below.