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rookiedriver
Active Member
23 Posts |
 Posted - 05/16/2004 : 11:06:12 PM
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| I am a new driver and our school disrtict does not provide transportation handbooks to our students. The kids are given school handbooks with brief rules for school bus safety included with other rules for school. Other districts in our county provide a transportation handbook for thier students. Would I be stepping on toes to suggest that we do the same? I am currantly a substitute driver and I don't want to over step my boundries. But most of the kids who I drive are unruley and do not know how to behave. I feel that a handbook would let the kids know what is expected of them to get them to school and home safely. I have some ideas for a transprtation handbook. Should I submit it to our district? If anyone has suggestions please let me know. Sub-Driver |
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Peter
Top Member
USA
1057 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2004 : 04:00:39 AM
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| I think that the fact that you are a substitute driver gives you a great reason to suggest a handbook for kids. You see them on the days when they think that it's OK to screw around and they can get away with it. Speak with the person in charge of safety at your bus garage and explain your ideas. Maybe you could use a behavior contract that the kids and parents have to sign and return so everyone will know that the kids have at least taken the handbook home to their parents? Go for it and good luck! |
Spicer is nicer. |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2004 : 1:04:40 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by rookiedriver
... most of the kids who I drive are unruly and do not know how to behave. I feel that a handbook would let the kids know what is expected of them to get them to school and home safely. ...
You're on the wrong track. Most of the kids would follow the bus driver's directions, even were there no posted bus rules, no rules in written policy or school handbooks.
A good guess is that your provider's policies and processes address 80-95 percent of the kids. They do not address the final 5 percent that began disrupting the buses at the beginning of the school year.
Because this is likely the case, then based on the information provided thus-far, you were hired: #1 - To be a scape goat, and #2 - To just drive the bus.
You were not hired to come up with ideas already known and previously ignored, not hired to train kids and not hired to be in charge of any school bus you drive. Bus drivers may have been told they are in charge as part of their job - but this is more likely to provide cover from a need to establish who is responsible in the event something goes wrong on your bus.
Obviously, were the bus drivers actually trained to be in charge of their buses the bus environment would be very calm by this time of year. How is it possible this late in the school year for any school bus in any school district to be out-of-control?
The current system and processes at your school district are too flawed and political for a sub to do much more than survive, just as most the kids are having to do until the adults get their act together. Survival can include violence on occasion.
You're stuck. Live with it, quit now, or get professional violence prevention training the transportation provider is not providing. (jk)
Click Here to find out The #1 reason some school buses are violent places
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Edited by - JK on 05/20/2004 12:28:22 PM |
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no3foreternity
Senior Member
USA
67 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2004 : 7:15:45 PM
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So much for supporting your fellow busdriver JK, BOO for you!!!!
I say if you feel there needs to be change then help get it started! A suggestion to possibly increase bus safety and awareness of rules could NEVER hurt, no matter how small the suggestion is! Take it to your safety supervisor for a start. If that goes nowhere then take it to a school board meeting and present it there. If that fails, then maybe try a letter to the editor of you local paper. If nothing else this should help get the word out and raise some awareness.
Good Luck and let us know how things turn out. |
I say "Good Morning" and call them by name,and in return I'm told the same,they go sit down and think of a rule to break,but are quickly subdued when warned of the actions I'll take. They've learned to follow the rules can be safe and can be fun........and after the high schoolers it will be the elementary run! |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2004 : 9:42:09 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by no3foreternity
So much for supporting your fellow bus driver JK, BOO for you!!!! ...
Regardless, most of the kids would follow the bus driver's directions, even were there no posted bus rules, no rules in written policy or school handbooks.
My opinion is clear enough: It's not in the industries' best interest to encourage a maltreated school bus driver continue working for an abusive transportation outfit. I would just soon every bus driver walk away from a transportation provider that abuses their bus drivers. When choosing to stay, then local collage violence prevention training - often includes workshops concerning dealing with abusive adults as well - may accomplish more than making suggestions management likely already knows and previously ignored. (jk)
Click Here to find out The #1 reason school bus drivers quit |
Edited by - JK on 05/24/2004 9:47:52 PM |
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Peter
Top Member
USA
1057 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2004 : 04:12:34 AM
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quote:
Obviously, were the bus drivers actually trained to be in charge of their buses the bus environment would be very calm by this time of year. How is it possible this late in the school year for any school bus in any school district to be out-of-control?
We receive good student management training and there are some drivers that don't put it to use. I can't tell you why, but some drivers just let the kids run wild. Then, I, as a sub driver, come on the route and want some order but the kids are so accustomed to acting like little monkeys with no correction from the driver, that they don't care what I say or do. It's easy to blame management for unruly kids and speculate that there is a lack of training, but often the problem is failure to put to use the training that the driver has received.
Yes, the kids would follow the rules though not posted if the driver made it clear that he expected them to behave civilly and there were consequences when those expecations were not met. We also have to admit that many kids do not receive any discipline at home. In fact, their upbringing often works against all outside authority figures as parents have taught them that they're not answerable to anyone, even parents. Look at the stories about drivers being beaten by parents lately. What kind of example is that? Whether or not the student handbook idea has been discarded by management before, it can't hurt to bring it up again. Anything that could help to teach kids how to behave properly is worth working for. |
Spicer is nicer. |
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Northern SBD
Senior Member
75 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2004 : 05:21:05 AM
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We have a very complete handbook that outlines the responsibility of the students, driver, the parent and the school.
The biggest benefit I see is that I have a written policy to show to anyone who isn't behaving the way I want them to, or that wants me to behave in a way I don't want to... "ie. changing bus times or stops - I don't have the power... see page 5"... the parent must meet the bus for their kindergarten child or I keep them on the bus ... see page 12 ... Jr. will be written up on a green slip and reported to the office for swearing.. see page 3.... or my favourite... you can not bring your gartersnake collection on the bus ... see page 3".
I think that it is wonderful to have and I think your school district is going to appreciate your interest. |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2004 : 11:14:01 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Peter
We receive good student management training and there are some drivers that don't put it to use. I can't tell you why, but some drivers just let the kids run wild. ... It's easy to blame management for unruly kids and speculate that there is a lack of training, but often the problem is failure to put to use the training that the driver has received.
Are we talking about state PTS employer friendly student management training? For several years my school bus routes were completely out-of-control. Each bus ticket, addressed a few days later at the school, only made matters worse on the bus.
State PTS student management training did little to nothing to help me keep kids safe. Collage level violence prevention training, paid for out of my own pocket!, helped me confront hostile kids, hostile parents, indifferent excuse making school staff and dysfunctional policies that tend to encourage kids to continue misbehaving.
Nearly a week ago a South Shore middle school bus had kids on board that were drunk, one girl so drunk she had to go to the hospital. Nearly a week has passed and still no school action taken, concerning what is now an alleged incident. "Disciplinary measures for the three students involved in [last] Wednesday's incident haven't been determined," said the principal in the May 22, 2004, Boston Herald news story, "Booze binge on bus busts eighth-grader."
Over the years I've watched dedicated people behind the wheel of their buses become frustrated with the lack of school staff support - many of the best a provider could possibly hire - giving up and moving on to another occupation.
Other than the occasional anomaly that can happen on any school bus, there is no excuse for school buses with out-of-control environments this late in the year. It is outrageous to blame the kids or the bus drivers at this point. The school, transportation management and the school board ought to end the excuse making and scapegoating, and accept responsibility for providing such poor support toward their bus drivers trying to keep kids safe on those buses.
There may be a few mis-hired bus drivers at most facilities - a very few. Where the buses are out-of-control, this late in the year, the school and management are the responsible parties for that, not the kids and not the bus drivers.
It may be a greater speculation, based on what was presented in this thread, to believe that management somehow has not heard about making a transportation handbook for their students. I would be much more enthusiastic were it that all the subs involved at that facility agreed with the idea and as a group made a suggestion based on that supported agreement.
The other option is to get the professional training to deal with the provider's and schools' shortcomings.
And it's not too late to act on the option: Get outta' there while the gettens' good.
I believe, in the majority of cases, the adults involved - primarily school staff and management - have the problem with helping keep those bus environments safe, not the kids and likely not the bus drivers. (jk)
Click Here to find out The #1 reason some school buses are violent places |
Edited by - JK on 05/26/2004 09:44:04 AM |
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bosslady
Advanced Member
USA
336 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2004 : 3:36:32 PM
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Our busdrivers send a list of bus rules and regulations( and the consequences of misbehaving) home with each bus student at the start of the year. Attached is a note to the parent stating they are expected to read the rules and discuss them with their student and there is a place for the parent to sign that they have done this and return the note to the driver. Each driver files them for their particular bus. It is amusing to me when a parent calls and says they didn't know their child was supposed to have a note to go home with someone or some other rule. I point out that it was in the list of rules that they signed that they had read.
I agree with JK. Giving out a set of rules doesn't help if no support is given the bus drivers in enforcing the rules. Our school system is great about backing up the bus driver. When I take a write-up over to the principals they usually ask "what do you want me to do as punishment." We have very few discipline problems on the buses because the bus drivers and I (as transportation director) are treated as the professionals we are. Our Superintendent is wonderful where the bus discipline is concerned. (Her father was a bus driver,maybe that helps) She has asked me many times if I am happy with the way the principals handle the bus problems and says she wants to know anytime I feel they are not taking it seriously enough. |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2004 : 9:02:21 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by bosslady
... We have very few discipline problems on the buses because the bus drivers and I (as transportation director) are treated as the professionals we are. Our Superintendent is wonderful where the bus discipline is concerned. (Her father was a bus driver, maybe that helps). She has asked me many times if I am happy with the way the principals handle the bus problems and says she wants to know anytime I feel they are not taking it seriously enough.
Can't find a single excuse for unsafe school bus environments in that post. Bravo to you Bosslady!!! Not until the excuses end does a school bus environment have any chance of becoming calm and safe for the kids and their bus driver. What Bosslady said demonstrates that some school districts do have calm and safe buses, probably all year long, and along with the occasional anomaly any provider is subject to. It's not what happens, not what the kids do, but how the adults involved behave that makes the biggest difference. (jk)
Driver's Bus & Route Safety Report
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Edited by - JK on 06/18/2004 9:04:36 PM |
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John Farr
Top Member
USA
642 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2004 : 10:40:04 AM
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This wheel has been invented.
Discretely ask your supervisor if there is interest in developing a handbook. You can also volunteer to assist a committee of drivers with the "grunt work" of developing the document (the supervisor must have final editorial authority, though). If the supervisor expresses interest in your idea, you can check the "Resources" section of this web page for a downloadable copy of Oceanside's driver handbook. It gives a place to start. Also ask districts in your area for an electronic copy of their handbooks. District cultures vary widely, so you'll need to customize yours to fit your operation's expectations.
Then cut and paste away!
John |
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JK
Top Member
USA
7307 Posts |
Posted - 06/21/2004 : 08:56:26 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by John Farr
This wheel has been invented. ...
I agree and can't imagine management not aware of this wheel. Regardless, Mr. Farr's approach is both a reasonable and respectful approach and may get results where the drivers are willing to do the "grunt work." (jk)
Click Here to find out The #1 reason some school buses are violent places |
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Pupil Transportation Handbook
