School Bus Fleet Magazine Forums
Home | Profile | Register | Active Topics | Members | Search | FAQ
 All Forums
 Safety Issues and Drivers' Concerns
 Enter Forum: Safety Issues and Drivers' Concerns
 Hostile Workplace/Schoolplace Thread
 New Topic  Reply to Topic
 Printer Friendly
Previous Page | Next Page
Author Previous Topic Topic Next Topic
Page: of 5

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 08/04/2008 :  07:01:03 AM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
This thread has been reworked to bring it back to the original intent when first started. An attempt was made, my own idea, to move frays to this thread, to allow acting out and also to eventually discuss how to resolve personalized issues that happen on occasion in this forum. That idea was a dismal failure. This thread has been reworked to return it to its original intent.

AS NOTED IN THE INTRODUCRY POST
Are you a workplace target visiting this thread?
If you are a target and visiting this thread looking for ideas concerning a situation in your workplace it is probably not a good idea to post your event here. Many here are professional and empathetic toward any person abused in the workplace or on the school buses. Regardless, if you do post expect a portion of personalized attacks that may be similar to what is happening in your workplace. There is also a risk that what you post could somehow find a way back to your employer. Resources and links are provided where the help you need is abundant and without having to expose yourself here.

When concerning a fellow worker or boss, please keep names and location vague, such as 100-employee workplace, large city in Michigan, that sort of revealing. Although also not a necessity, in some cases you might find it informative or useful to these forums to post a workplace situation here that hapened years ago, perhaps under other management.

Various press stories, resources and other documentation relevant to these hostile workplace issues can be posted in this thread. ~ (jk)




The following is a compression of issues and answers, based mostly on the US and Canadian resources discovered up to this point. It is a work in process and subject to change until finalized. ~ (jk)

What is Bullying?

The best answer found to date: A campaign of cruelty. Bullying is the repeated mistreatment by one or more people of a target that takes the form of either verbal abuse or conduct that’s threatening, intimidating, humiliating, or involves job sabotage, or any combination of these behaviors in the workplace.

Although 'wotkplace bullying' as a general definition is an accepted term in the courts, bullying does not have a definition in law like the legally defined varieties (such as sexual harassment), according to Dr. Gary Namie, PhD, Workplace Bullying Institute Co-Founder and the leading national expert in workplace bullying.

What usually is not bullying

The best answer found to date: Workplace Bullying - usa/(Mobbing - uk), ... "is persistent and systematic harassment and does not include isolated incidents or appropriate corrective measures which may be covered in other policies. For example, a single use of an offensive comment is unacceptable and may be a violation of the harassment-free workplace policy, but a single offensive comment is not mobbing. Likewise, while warranted discipline or a justified poor performance review may have an adverse impact on a worker's mental well-being, such corrective actions by themselves are not mobbing." ~ Excerpt from Department of Environmental Quality, Policy Number: 50.110, Policies and Procedures, Effective Date: October 28, 2003.

What sort of bully is most frequent in the workplace?

Unfortunately all major workplace studies show that bosses are the most frequent bullies and instigators of bullying in the workplace. (Follow the leader).

It is not well understood that most of the bullies in the workplace are bosses -- 72-percent in American workplaces and 80-pecent in Canadian workplaces according to major studies. ~ Sources: Canada Safety Council, CUPE's National Health and Safety Survey, Zogby Survey, International Labour Organization (ILO), Workplace Bullying Institute and more.

"Bullying is similar to spousal abuse and four times more prevalent in the workplace than sexual harassment." ~ Workplace Bullying Institute

Bullying is an equal opportunity event

A little over fifty-percent of people bullied in the workplace are women. Women are most susceptible to other women. Women bully women seventy-one percent of the time. ~ Workplace Bullying Institute

Over 80 percent of bullies are bosses, some are co-workers and a minority bully higher-ups. A bully is equally likely to be a man or a woman. 49 percent of Americans have been affected by bullying. Canada Safety Council, Workplace Bullying Institute.

Myth about bullies

Joel Haber, Ph.D, in his book, Bullyproof Your Child for Life, says, "The stereotype of the bully was an overweight, overaggressive, not very intelligent boy who beat up others to make himself feel better by proving his physical strength. There are still some of this type of bully out there, sure, but there's a much more dangerous bully type now.

Today's bullies are often popular, smart, charming to adults, and have many friends, even if their friendships are based on fear. They maintain their social status by making others objects of scorn and ridicule. To most people, they look like leaders."

Dr. Haber mentions that psychological tests have shown that bullies typically have self-esteem to spare. What bullies may not have is empathy, and that may be the most critical element differentiating them from kids with true leadership skills.

According to Haber, "A child proves to be a true bully if he keeps up the role for months or years, loses his empathy with these incidents, or if his initial forays into bullying are exceptionally abusive."

Habers says, "They're likely to repeat this pattern throughout life in their workplaces, towns, and families - teaching their kids how to climb the social ladder so they can annihilate the 'worthless' kids below them, too." ~ Who's afraid of the big, bad bully - Bullyproof Your Child for Life, Joel Haber, Ph.D

Myth about targets

The common stereotype of a bullied person is someone who is weak, an oddball or a loner. On the contrary, the target chosen by a bully will very often be a capable, dedicated staff member, well liked by coworkers. Bullies are most likely to pick on people with an ability to cooperate and a non-confrontive interpersonal style. The bully considers their capability a threat, and determines to cut them down. ~ Canada Safety Council, Workplace Bullying Institute

Save the department, save the company

Predominate is the new boss that believes everything is wrong with the department and forces major changes virtually overnight and without genuine discussion with those affected. Often continues to make changes in the same vain eventually also becoming one or more of the bullies styles below. ~ Workplace Bullying Institute and other expert authorities.

Dr. Namie states four generalized categories of the most common bullying bosses, which can also apply to some employees:

THESE DO THINGS TO PEOPLE

Screaming MeMe - fist pounding, loud public arena types. a weasel cloaked under a big monster (The wizard in the Wizard of Oz), Most often acts out in the presence of an audience;

Constant Critic - tries to convince you that you're stupid, erodes your confidence and competence, includes denying your occupational knowledge/skills, clutters your evaluations with trash, questions your character;

Two-Headed Snake - passive-aggressive, back stabber, out to control your reputation and regardless of your genuine efforts and the trust you've earned. Also questions your character, can display an empathetic but misused mode (sincere-like or sarcasm) - 'You can't help who you are' or picks away at what the bully may call 'Your lack of education or knowledge.'

WITHOLDS FROM PEOPLE

Gatekeeper - micro-manager types with a twist, sets you up to fail, includes withholding needed information, withholds authority to fulfill the task, withholds earned time, gives you work that can't be done within the time allowed, denies needed training.

Here are some of the remedies many targets in the workplace have used in the attempt to end a bully's attacks

Apology; Forgiveness; Asking Forgiveness; Ignoring; Empathy; Question; Confront; Plead; Maneuver; Become invisible; Sick Leave; Become an ally to the bully; Become a bully; Staying out of the way of the bully: Joking/Jesting; Declare not a big deal (thick-skinned); Improvise; Giving the bully's malbehavior a name; Complaining to HR, upper management or other authorities; Consulting a friend, the union or a Lawyer; Leaving that workplace or employer.

According to Dr. Namie, “Targets are pretty much on their own to solve a problem not of their own making. HR works for management, not the employee. Since bullying is most predominate in management, "HR can be considered their allies and accomplices.”

The possibility of failure is in the 70-percent range when targets use any one or all of the attempts mentioned above. Some of them, if not all in some cases tend to make matters worse. Thirty-percent of the time one or more of ‘the do-it-yourself’ approaches may help ease or can abruptly stop the bullying.

What is the most successful approach found so far?

The target leaving that department or employer as soon as possible.

One reason is again that according to the studies the vast majority of the time the target does not prevail. Another is the target's health can be seriously affected in a short period of time, more frequent illness, longer illness periods and depression. (Affects women more than men. Although still rare bullied men are more likely to go postal. Also rare for both sexes is suicide.)

Bullies look for a nonaggressive response to aggression. When it first begins an aggressive response or otherwise to immediately confront the bully may stop the bully in his or her tracks. When not the case the target is in for a battle that usually ends in the bully's favor.

When the target decides to leave that workplace, a ripple may occur about how awful that target was, stroking each other and the main bully's ego. When that no longer satisfies the egos involved or another threat is perceived, it's on to the next target to do the same thing all over again. A clique can develop around the bully. The workplace environment suffers.

Employee attrition costs 12 to 18 months’ salary for each leaving manager or professional, and 4 to 6 months' pay for each leaving clerical or hourly employee. ~ Study by Ipsos-Reid

Do the math and discover how much your company may pay for attrition.

"People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers! Replace managers who will not develop relationship skills." ~ Martyn Carruthers, Systemic Solutions

But you want to stay in the same workplace and are willing to battle it out, come what may?

Keep in mind it is not a fair fight -- it is one that can also damage your career and injure your health. You must understand and accept that the law is not with you in most states and also understand that the time and frustration involved can take years when trying to solve the situation on your own. When having waited too long to address your situation with the top administration and several employees have become involved, then even some of the better employers may take the path of least resistance.

Compressed process based on exploring this issue for some three years

Do not go to HR with your complaint. Go to the top when it is time. It is usually not time until you have done these things:

Confront immediately – It is not the nature of most targets to confront bullies – most targets are focused on their work, not on conflicts with others. Regardless, confronting the bully can immediately remove the target from being a target since bullies look for easy prey to act out against. Tell the bully to stop. Did that work? If not:

Document every incident – note any witnesses and at least date each event - prefer time frame also - and describe the attack. Avoid any combative response to a ridiculous direction or offensive remark. If you do respond make it short and to the point. Stop doing that now! Walk away.

If the direction is a known established unethical or unsafe direction that could harm you or another person you are expected to refuse the directive and give the reason for refusing. The workplace bully may know this and try to use it against you when you refuse to comply.

Anger is the easiest emotion to fake. Certain bosses and fellow employees (and also some kids on the bus) use a display of anger or a temper tantrum to try to get compliance with what they want. Winners stay calm, do not engage with frustration or anger in charge - either walk away or simply restate the reason for refusing the directive.

The calmer you remain the worse the bully boss or fellow employee (or child on the bus) may act out. When it's all over you may not prevail. If you do prevail you can then become a marked employee promoted as a troublemaker, (in the case of the school bus, alleged too picky or mean).

The calm, cool and collected bully can be the more difficult sort to deal with. Officious like, quoting policy to their advantage, they dig away at your job performance remaining distant and indifferent, all while you become more frustrated about what you are hearing. Becoming defensive or exploding plays right in to that bully's game.

Become defensive – you're not winning; Complain – you’re branded a whiner; Explode - you're branded a loose cannon; Leave that workplace – you’re branded not to have had what it takes to work there; Complain after quitting – you’re branded a disgruntle previous employee that had issues.

A quick confident retort and walking away may work. Silence may work. No comment and walking away may work. Always documenting after each encounter may work very well later.

You decide when it's time to take the issue to the top

But don't wait so long that a clique has evolved from employees wanting to impress their boss. Some of these are bullies themselves or wannabe's in practice when thinking it safe to join in.

It becomes much harder for upper management to act when you wait too long to complain. Waiting too long may involve at that point several 'wannabe' employees also bullying you. What is the least path of resistance at that point for the employer to act on?

With documentation in hand you must convince the administration that the bully is too expensive to keep, that it's bad for business

'It's not just about me personally, but the fact that attrition is too great or increasing because of that workplace bully, the reality that core experience is eroding away, that too much of the new help is becoming zombie-like and lacking experience. Efficiency is suffering, tensions in the workplace is up, morale is down. Absenteeism has increased, sick leave has increased and illnesses seem lasting longer. Our service is not meeting the expectations it could with a healthier workplace environment in place.'

That's about it. The employer responds in support of you and your concerns -- or doesn't.

Unions can be helpful

So can an 'employment' or ‘personal injury’ attorney. Both are handicapped because there is no law against bullying in the workplace. However, a good union or attorney can catch a violation in the contract or a violation of law that the bully boss may have missed.

Over a short period enough evidence can be collected to go after an employer that allowed the abuse under laws already in place. 'Constructive Discharge' (forced to quit) may come in to play at some point.

Stop workplace bullying laws are progressing through legislation in thirteen states and growing. For now targets are pretty much on their own. Document, document, document and engage the battle - or - decide to get out of that 'hell-hole' before conditions become worse.

Most choose to leave

When leaving is the choice made there is an option after leaving that can help other targets: Write the experience in a letter to the a relevant agency. OSHA has some interest in hostile workplace environments. In the event at some point an employee takes a hostile workplace issue before the court, send a copy to the target's lawyer. In the case of a complaint taken to the press, send a copy to the reporter.

Years later you can still use your experience at that workplace to help support a pattern of employer indifference toward stopping bullying in the workplace.

Would liked there were simple remedies to offer other than quitting. Unfortunately this is not the case with this issue at this time.

A New Reality - Workplace bullying is growing

Eventually, more often than not and when choosing to stay, you must either become a bully yourself, or join the forty-five percent that deny they ever noticed bullying in the workplace - become a passive zombie, indifferent and a potential scapegoat for the status quo.

When you care about people and yourself, even a little, the choices when not immediately quitting remain unacceptable. (jk)

Legal Leap for Workplace Bullying
The First U.S. "Bullying Trial" – Indiana (2008)
The Indiana Supreme Court found no error in the trial court's ruling that allowed Dr. Namie's "expert" testimony. According to the court, the term "workplace bullying" can be used because the phrase is "like other general terms used to characterize a person's behavior...." It also found that the trial court did not err in refusing to instruct the jury that workplace bullying, in and of itself, is not illegal. ~ Press Release, Workplace Bullying Institute

For employees and employers with bullies in the workplace -- Read this definitive anti-bullying self-help book by the U.S. pioneers -- Drs. Ruth and Gary Namie. The Bully At Work is for People living a bullied hell and those who care about them ... In a single volume, the authors describe exactly and completely what the targeted person needs to do when attacked by a workplace tyrant. Click Here for more information

Handling Mistakes: An Important Skill For Managers - This brief management skills advice can be useful to new managers and also employers looking for direction to help end management bullying in the workplace. Click Here for article

For the target that needs some general help now?
Various Techniques for Fighting a Bully

To become effective in your fight you need to understand a few basic principles of battling bullies. Once you've reviewed the concepts and techniques in this section, you can settle on your own approach and style. Click Here for Webpage

FOR KIDS
Take a Stand, Lend a Hand - Stop Bullying Now!
- FREE VIDEO DOWNLOADS -


FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.



There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains.

Edited by - JK on 08/09/2008 11:07:17 AM
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 08/04/2008 :  08:16:11 AM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote

Learning To Muzzle Workplace Violence

Brian Deagon

Aug 1 2008
Investor's Business Daily
The phrase "going postal" worked its way into American slang starting with a tragic event in Oklahoma, 1986, when a distraught part-time letter carrier shot and killed 14 people before killing himself.

Over the next three years, four more postal workers were killed in shootings in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.

The phrase today is used to define sudden, extreme and uncontrollable rage possibly leading to violence and sometimes death. Though workplace homicides are the fourth leading cause of workplace death, incidents of threats, assault, sexual harassment, stalking and bullying are more widespread.

But a rising area of concern is that social fallout from a grim economy may lead to a surge in workplace violence. The good news is that companies can take pre-emptive steps to curb such threats.

Some 2 million Americans are victims of workplace violence each year, according to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. In a 2005 survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 50% of establishments with 1,000 employees or more reported at least one incident of workplace violence in the trailing year.

The most common impact on companies as a result of workplace violence is that fear and anxiety rises among employees. This erodes morale, BLS reports, though a slight majority of respondents to a survey reported no impact at all.

Keep An Eye On Workers

Dave Logan, an author and professor at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Management, estimates that 2% of an employer's work force is at what he calls Stage One -- capable of extreme violence.

That analysis comes from an eight-year study of more than 24,000 individuals in more than two dozen corporations he conducted with colleagues.

But another 25% are at Stage Two, people who are generally unhappy with work and life, hovering above the danger zone like a thundercloud ready to let loose.

"They may think life *****, they have a crappy job and things are fundamentally unfair," said Logan.

Given current economic conditions -- where employers are downsizing and the subprime mortgage mess has led to a large number of people losing their home -- the potential of Stage Two employees to degrade into Stage One has risen.

"Leaders of all types need to be on watch for warning signs, of people disengaging and becoming alienated," said Logan. "Get involved with them early, engage them, and encourage them to get help."

The red flags that indicate a worker about to lash out can usually be spied in advance by properly trained employees, industry experts say. Other steps to take include having a company hotline where people can vent -- anonymously, if necessary -- and having well-defined policies and guidelines on handling disruptive employees. ...

Click Here for full story

FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.



There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains.
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 08/06/2008 :  2:47:22 PM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
CCSD Program Tries to Help Kids Combat Bullies

Travell Eiland, Reporter

Aug 05 2008
KLAS Las Vegas
The school house bully has been around for years. But now experts say the problem is getting out of control. According to a national survey, 80-percent of all school children say they've been bullied.

It has lead to school fights, shootings and even some students committing suicide.

Last year alone, nearly 1,000 Clark County school students were recommended for expulsion for violent acts like fighting, physical harassment and even sexual assault. Teachers believe many of these incidents stem from bullying. Now they hope a new program will help stop the violence.

Violence is on the rise at schools. Last December, six students were gunned down at a school bus stop.

In February, 15-year-old Chris Privett was shot and killed while walking home from school.

"There has always been violence in schools and communities, and Chris' death wasn't the first and hasn't been the last," said his father, Mike Privett.

Trying to stop other parents from living this father's pain, Clark County school teachers and students are learning how to prevent school violence.

"We deal with it everyday in the school district, and it's devastating," said Mary Vaughn, a counselor with Clark County schools. She says the first step is combating the bully.

"As young people peer acceptance is extremely important and when that don't get that or get bullied, they feel worthless. It destroys their self esteem," she said.

Vaughn says victims of bullying have dropped out of school, killed themselves or taken their frustration out on others.

Experts say the teens responsible for the Columbine High School shooting were seeking revenge after being taunted and bullied by classmates.

Pastor Troy Martinez says the victims lash out because bullying got out of control. "We respond to the hospital, and it's a juvenile -- both boys and girls -- and when we are done tracing back how it started, it started with a verbal altercation."

Pastor Troy believes stopping bullying starts with education. "We know the students are going to have to be the solution."

That's why school officials are implementing the Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) program.

"SAVE is a program that put skills in kids hands to make better choices about staying away from violence, bullying," said Vaughn.

These students are hoping that the lessons they learn in SAVE will save lives.

"We are trying to get it in every school and if that happens, the bully problem will go down," said student Nick Paris.

They have nearly 30 SAVE chapters in the Clark County school system. They are hoping to get more volunteers so they program can be implemented district wide.

Click Here for source

FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.



There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains.
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 08/06/2008 :  4:06:41 PM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Bully boss cops huge fine

A BOSS who underpaid and abused mentally disabled staff has been savaged by a federal magistrate and fined $120,000.

Aug 04 2008
Daily Telegraph, Australia
Nick Iksidis, who runs a supermarket trolley collecting business in Albury, underpaid 42 employees more than $100,000.

Those ripped off included the mentally disabled, people who spoke little English and the young.

Federal industrial magistrate Philip Burchardt said: "Mr Iksidis chose a workforce that he knew or suspected would be pliable and bullied them if they complained."

Workplace Ombudsman Nicholas Wilson, who brought the case against Mr Iksidis and his company Xidis Pty Ltd - trading as Effective Supermarket Services - said the workers had done up to 50 hours unpaid work a month.

He said the penalty proved the courts would not tolerate abuses of vulnerable workers.

Click Here for source

FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.



There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains.
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 08/06/2008 :  4:14:04 PM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Lawyers and employers fight 'workplace bullies'

By CARI TUNA
with the Wall Street Journal

Aug 04 2008
Honolulu Advertiser
A recent U.S. court case and new research are focusing attention on "workplace bullying," prompting some employers to take steps to curb aggressive behavior.

Experts define workplace bullying as subtle, persistent and often nondiscriminatory harassment of co-workers. Unlike sexual or racial harassment, workplace bullying isn't necessarily illegal. But bullying can contribute to absenteeism and turnover and escalate into illegal behavior if left unchecked, experts say.

In April, the Indiana Supreme Court reinstated a $325,000 verdict for Joseph Doescher, a former medical technician who had sued Daniel Raess, a cardiovascular surgeon, for assault in 2002.

Doescher's attorneys portrayed Raess as a verbally abusive workplace bully. In the 2002 incident, Doescher claimed Raess yelled at and advanced toward him with clenched fists. Raess' lawyers argued that the bully label was irrelevant and the surgeon's actions didn't amount to assault. But four of the five justices disagreed, deeming workplace bullying an "entirely appropriate" term.

The ruling doesn't mean that employees can sue for workplace bullying alone. But Kevin Betz, who represented Doescher, calls the ruling "a major breakthrough," as the first time a court recognized bullying as an issue. Raess couldn't be reached for comment, and his lawyer, Karl Mulvaney, declined to comment.

The Indiana decision came amid growing concern about workplace bullying. Garry Mathiason, a senior partner at Littler Mendelson, a leading employment-law firm, says more corporate clients are raising the issue, motivated by legal questions, as well as concerns about the impact on productivity. Littler Mendelson featured bullying among its "breaking trends" in labor law at a conference for U.S. employers this year.

Angela Cornell, an associate professor at Cornell Law School who specializes in employment law, says workplace bullying is common enough that employers should "nip it in the bud before it becomes a problem."

Graniterock, a Watsonville, Calif., construction-materials distributor, is trying to do just that. In June, Graniterock added nondiscriminatory bullying to its list of prohibited conduct in the workplace, which already included harassment based on gender, ethnicity and other protected statuses.

Graniterock Chief Executive Bruce Woolpert says the policy grew out of events at the company. He says bullying and intimidation are common in the construction industry. At Graniterock, he says, one employee made repeated off-color jokes about another employee's girlfriend; he also has seen veteran workers harshly criticize younger employees.

Emotionally abusive co-workers can hurt a company's reputation with customers and employees and poison a work environment, Woolpert says. "It's not just the person who is being attacked, it's the entire company."

New research highlights the prevalence and dangers of workplace bullying. In a 2007 survey of 1,000 U.S. workers, 44 percent said they had worked for a boss they considered abusive. The survey was sponsored by the Employment Law Alliance, an association of 3,000 employment lawyers.

In a 2004 survey by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Heath, 25 percent of companies reported bullying incidents in the previous year. More incidents were attributed to co-workers than to supervisors. The study was part of the institute's research on work-related stress.

This year, two Canadian professors concluded bullying can take a more severe emotional and physical toll than sexual harassment, perhaps because companies provide greater support for victims of the latter. In a review of 110 studies spanning two decades, the researchers found that bullied employees were more likely than sexually harassed employees to quit, report physical and mental health problems, and be dissatisfied with their jobs.

Since 2003, lawmakers in 13 U.S. states have introduced bills that would ban workplace bullying, but nearly all have failed. Hawai'i passed a resolution that encourages employers to adopt antibullying policies. Proposed legislation is pending in New York. In Connecticut, state Sen. Edith Prague says she plans to introduce a measure in January that would ban bullying in government workplaces.

Most of the bills reflect the influence of the Workplace Bullying Institute, an employee-rights group founded by psychology specialists Gary and Ruth Namie in 1998 after Ruth Namie felt she was bullied at work. The institute is supported by the couple's consulting company, Work Doctor Inc., which advises companies and victims of bullying. Doescher's attorneys called Gary Namie as an expert witness in the Indiana case.

Some business groups and lawmakers say workplace bullying is too difficult to define, and a poorly worded law would expose businesses to unnecessary lawsuits.

Woolpert says Graniterock executives reworked their antibullying policy several times to clarify its message. The company now forbids "unnecessary and rude behavior intended to be offensive and cause emotional distress, including 'workplace bullying."'

Click Here for source

FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.



There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains.
Go to Top of Page

mlkdrives41
Top Member

USA
2055 Posts

Posted - 08/06/2008 :  6:02:01 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Thank you, James for bringing attention to this invasive and demoralizing problem on the job. I for one can't wait for the finished product.

Nothing great has ever been accomplished without enthusiasm!
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 08/09/2008 :  11:54:21 AM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Back to school - The ABCs of returning to the classroom

SPECIAL TO THE ENQUIRE

July 31 2008
Hartselle Enquirer
Whether your child’s a “veteran” or making their first foray into the classroom, there’s plenty to do before the start of school. In the midst of buying supplies and back-to-school clothes, the American Academy of Pediatrics is advising you to pay attention to some other things as well. Their tips are designed to make the return to the classroom easier for all. Excerpts:

BULLYING

Bullying is when one child picks on another child repeatedly. Usually children being bullied are either weaker or smaller, shy, and generally feel helpless. Bullying can be physical, verbal, or social. It can happen at school, on the playground, on the school bus, in the neighborhood, or over the internet.

When Your Child Is Bullied

Help your child learn how to respond by teaching your child how to:

1. Look the bully in the eye.
2. Stand tall and stay calm in a difficult situation.
3. Walk away.
4. Teach your child how to say in a firm voice: "I don't like what you are doing." - "Please do not talk to me like that." - "Why would you say that?"

Teach your child when and how to ask for help.

Encourage your child to make friends with other children.

Support activities that interest your child.

Alert school officials to the problems and work with them on solutions.

Make sure an adult who knows about the bullying can watch out for your child's safety and well-being when you cannot be there.

When Your Child Is the Bully

1. Be sure your child knows that bullying is never OK.
2. Set firm and consistent limits on your child's aggressive behavior.
3. Be a positive role model. Show children they can get what they want without teasing, threatening or hurting someone.
4. Use effective, non-physical discipline, such as loss of privileges.
5. Develop practical solutions with the school principal, teachers, counselors, and parents of the children your child has bullied.

When Your Child Is a Bystander

1. Tell your child not to cheer on or even quietly watch bullying.
2. Encourage your child to tell a trusted adult about the bullying.
3. Help your child support other children who may be bullied.
4. Encourage your child to include these children in activities.
5. Encourage your child to join with others in telling bullies to stop.

Click Here for full story

FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.



There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains.

Edited by - JK on 08/09/2008 12:02:20 PM
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 08/28/2008 :  6:52:40 PM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
New Study: Employers Ignore Bullying

Employers (still) Ignoring Bullying
(and getting away with it!)


In a new Labor Day 2008 study conducted by the Workplace Bullying Institute, bullied workers report that employers predominantly do nothing to stop the mistreatment when reported (53%) and actually retaliated against the person (in 71% of cases) who dared to report it.

Four hundred (400) respondents recently completed the online survey at the WBI website. Bullying was defined as mistreatment characterized as either verbal abuse, threats, intimidation, humiliation or sabotage of work. In 40% of cases, targets considered the employer's "investigation" to be inadequate or unfair with less than 2% of investigations described as fair and safe for the bullied person. Filing complaints led to retaliation by employers of bullied targets leading to lost jobs (24%). Bullies were punished in only 6.2% of cases. In other words, bullying is done with impunity.
Read the results at:

Click Here for full story


Legislative Campaign
now in 22 States-Provinces

Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Ontario province

Everyone registered with WBI or WBI-LC will receive a notice this fall about contacting your state or province's Coordinator to volunteer to help get the WBI Healthy Workplace Bill introduced and passed in 2009. Together we unpaid citizen lobbyists can send a message to employers to either voluntarily stop the bullying or face the threat of litigation made possible by the new law.

Click Here for full story

UPDATED
School bus driver survey
Project MC-21: Special Safety Concerns of School Bus Drivers Click Here for press release and survey link. (Scan partway down page)

FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.



There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains.

Edited by - JK on 01/14/2009 09:10:24 AM
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 08/28/2008 :  7:08:48 PM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Families say Ohio school ignored harassment

Aug 28, 2008
Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A federal lawsuit accuses an Ohio school district of ignoring complaints by two 12-year-olds that they were sexually harassed by other students, and one of the girls says she was later raped on a school bus.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Columbus by the girls' families. It alleges that the girls reported sexual harassment to a counselor and a middle school principal in the South-Western school district.

An attorney for the families says the district failed to take action. The Franklin County sheriff's office says 15-year-old Mark Castle, of Columbus, has been charged with two counts of rape and one count of gross sexual imposition. His attorney declined comment.

A spokeswoman for the South-Western school district did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Click Here for source

UPDATED
School bus driver survey
Project MC-21: Special Safety Concerns of School Bus Drivers Click Here for press release and survey link. (Scan partway down page - Survey may close at any time)

FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.



There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains.

Edited by - JK on 01/14/2009 09:12:09 AM
Go to Top of Page

havebuswilldrive
New Member

Canada
6 Posts

Posted - 09/01/2008 :  09:57:27 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by JK
According to management researcher Chandra Louise, 80% of the employees who quit their jobs do so because of problems with their bosses. While they may give the human resources staff other reasons for quitting, they will tell their friends, "I’d still be there even for that pittance of a salary if it weren’t for that awful boss."


so true JK, so true. I just posted another topic about bosses who like to harass. There are so many ways to frustrate the drivers, not all obvious, but equally madding. With some of the stuff that goes on it is amazing that drivers stay as long as they do!
Go to Top of Page

rokobus
New Member

United States
3 Posts

Posted - 10/08/2008 :  08:16:57 AM  Show Profile  Visit rokobus's Homepage  Reply with Quote
There are times when it is appropriate to ignore...

Really, if you do not have the training or support you need while following the program in place, then change it or get out.

Some of this stuff, while leeenghty reading, seems to be suggesting that we are overweight, battered women. I'm sorry but I find that ridiculous. Bus drivers do need support from parents, which IS lacking and in some locales, from superiors who may not manage well enough. Mostly, I think the statistics show the majority of school bus drivers are awesome!

This woman runs her bus just fine. (These kids are run through the metal detector and searched in and out of the school building.) The kid who runs off at the mouth with profanity, gets physical with the others, and exclaimed he was going to kill his mother yesterday is not on the bus today, or tomorrow, or ever... He had been dealt with respectfully and firmly for the duration of the school year and now his time is up. It's simple...don't let them smell your fear or see you get frustrated. You do not have to be hostile in return just calm and authoritative. You set yourself up early in the year. Stick with it! You can be interested in them and courteous without being their "buddy."
Go to Top of Page

rokobus
New Member

United States
3 Posts

Posted - 10/08/2008 :  08:29:35 AM  Show Profile  Visit rokobus's Homepage  Reply with Quote
A note on workplace bullying...while on the increase, it is very difficult to get help if you are confronting or going against your boss. I had this problem at my last job. Never before have I had such a circumstance. This person was unbelievable. All I can say is, if you are going to take someone on...document, document, document everything that happens (time, date, details). Have a paper trail of everything! WITNESSES are very crucial to winning any kind of settlement if you take them to court. The U.S. does not have firm laws against "bullying" in the workplace. It is open to interpretation. Until some cases pass through the legal system and are on the books for precedent, it will be a mountain to climb. Other countries have protective laws, we are very behind in this area. Unions are about the only thing that help a worker. Harassment laws, again are open to interpretation. If you work for a small company, some state laws do not apply. Believe me I tried! Just be patient, do not retaliate (for fear of being tagged and documented insubordinate, which goes on your record) and document all details with witnesses. Get a good civil rights/employment lawyer.
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 12/31/2008 :  3:43:17 PM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Kids learn to stop the bullies

Dec 21 2008
Denise-Marie Balona, Staff Writer
Orlando Sentinel
LEESBURG - Second-grader Tavion Haynes knows what it's like to be bullied.

He knows it can hurt. A boy in his class keeps punching him in the arm and picking fights with other kids, he says.

It can be frustrating, too. Although the teacher has scolded the bully and the principal might have suspended him once, a lot of students stopped telling on him. It doesn't seem to do any good, says Tavion, a shy 7-year-old with long braids.

Recently, Tavion learned he is part of the problem -- he is actually helping the bully pick on people when he does not pester authorities to get the situation under control.

He also learned how even a small boy like himself can force changes, thanks to a new program a community group is using to help local children deal with tough social situations.

"I'm just going to tell my mom," said Tavion, who hadn't considered that before the talk on bullying one recent afternoon at Main Street Baptist Church in Leesburg. She's not someone who's easily ignored, he said.

Bullying is a serious problem in many schools these days, as are issues such as gun violence and sexual harassment. Harvard University and the U.S. Department of Justice have teamed up to promote an interactive computer program that helps kids understand these issues.

Video dramatizations show children the consequences of their bad decisions, which can include doing nothing. ...

Click Here for full story

FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Child Left Behind, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.



There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains.
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 12/31/2008 :  3:50:15 PM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
The rules of the road: No bullying allowed

Forest Lake School District hopes that turning the bus into a community on wheels will halt harassing behavior.

Dec 19 2008
By GREGORY A. PATTERSON
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune

The children clambered off the school bus and through the drifted snow, many with jackets open and hats in hand -- now safely out of mom's eyesight. They gathered in clumps or straggled alone, bumping, running, laughing and talking loudly.

They were on their best behavior.

They followed bus driver Frank Zerwas into Forest Lake Elementary School, down the hall and into the band room for a special session of the Peaceful School Bus program -- the latest initiative of Forest Lake School District to halt bullying and improve bus safety.

Forest Lake is the first metro-area district to adopt the program, but bullying is a concern for all schools.

The bus is the one part of the school day when typically kids are not supervised by an adult -- giving some the opportunity to toss their weight around and filling others with fear and trepidation of being pushed around or teased.

"The bus is not the number one place where bullying occurs, but it's the one place there is no adult supervision," says Carolyn Latady, family support advocate for the district and the program's leader. "Bus drivers can't turn their attention to the students because they have to drive."

The program works on the concept that each bus group is a community that can be strengthened if the kids and driver all get to know each other. Pictures of students standing with their driver in front of their bus hang in the school's hallways. It is one of the ways of telling the kids that the rules inside the school extend to the bus.

Fifth-grade teacher Scott Beglinger led the discussion last week with students on the Zerwas bus, telling the big kids to look out for the little ones and telling everyone to keep their hands to themselves and their fannies in their assigned seats. Zerwas piped in that sometimes a word or two comes out of a child's mouth that shouldn't. That's when they end up sitting in front, next to him.

The program seems to be working. School officials say the number of problems referred from incidents on the bus is down by half so far this year. ...

Click Here for full story


Get K-12 students on board with peaceful, positive behavior

The Peaceful School Bus Program works as a stand-alone program or as an enhancement to a comprehensive violence prevention program, such as the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.

The Peaceful School Bus Program is a whole-school program that's designed to decrease inappropriate behavior on buses while creating a climate of respect and cooperation.

Teachers, administrators, parents, and students take part in school bus route group meetings. At these meetings the students

Take part in team-building exercises
Develop mentoring relationships by pairing older students with younger students on the bus
Talk about bullying - and what behavior is and is not acceptable
Get to personally know their driver, who is present at the meetings.

Click Here for Website

Policy Development Sheet: – School Bus Code of Conduct - Click Here for Link

FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Child Left Behind, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.



There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains.

Edited by - JK on 01/01/2009 02:34:15 AM
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 01/14/2009 :  09:21:01 AM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Is It Possible You Are Bullied
and Not Know It?


As Sarah Palin would say, "you betcha!" The reasons are many. Cruelty against others is not in your worldview. You were not raised that way and do not immediately recognize exploitative behavior directed at you. Also, targethood leads you to (falsely) believe that you need to disprove the lies.

You will jump higher and run faster to appease your accuser. It takes a long time to come to your senses and stop this self-defeating pattern. And just maybe you think that by not trusting your gut reaction to the malicious harm aimed your way, time alone will make the misery cease. Wrong. It's best to recognize the symptoms early.

Here's the list to tip you off to what is happening to you. [If you are a veteran of bullying, you will notice the symptoms in others and you can alert them (if they will listen)].

Click Here for Website

Policy Development Sheet: – School Bus Code of Conduct - Click Here for Link

FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Child Left Behind, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.



There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains.
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 02/16/2009 :  1:17:35 PM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Ind. teens accused of bullying bus mates

Feb. 13, 2009
United Press International, Inc
PORTAGE, Ind., (UPI) -- Three teenage boys in Portage, Ind., are facing charges including sexual battery for allegedly bullying their peers on a school bus, police say.

Portage Police Department Sgt. Keith Hughes alleges the three teens, two aged 17 and one aged 16, routinely harassed their fellow passengers on a school bus, groping teenage girls and setting small fires, The Gary (Ind.) Post-Tribune said Friday.

The teenage boys were charged with various crimes after police learned of a Feb. 5 incident in which one of the suspects allegedly exposed his genitals on the bus. That incident also involved one of the other suspects, who allegedly attempted to push a girl's face against the other teen's genitals.

The three suspects also groped several teenage girls and two of the unidentified suspects threatened some of their female victims, police allege.

Hughes told the Post-Tribune the suspects, who are all facing expulsion from their Portage school, may avoid "serious" jail time due to their young ages.

"These are charges that if they were adults ... they would be facing some serious time," he said.

Click Here for source

Policy Development Sheet: – School Bus Code of Conduct - Click Here for Link

FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Child Left Behind, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.



There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains.

Edited by - JK on 02/16/2009 1:19:37 PM
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 03/14/2009 :  08:56:55 AM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
New law strikes at bullying

By CHRIS HOFF, Reporter

Mar 11 2009
Douglas Budget, WY

The violent video was captured on a cell phone camera – like so many in this day and age – and quickly uploaded to the internet.

As Douglas High School students logged onto a popular video sharing web site, they were faced with a shocking image.

One DHS student was striking another, and the grainy shot was on the web for the entire world to witness.

But the scariest part is that this dizzying incident was not isolated, merely a microcosm of a broader issue: Bullying.

Bullying isn’t the same as it was when many of us were in school, before the days of web site harassment and worldwide postings.

School policies to handle bullying haven’t always kept pace with the impact of new technologies. That may change soon in Wyoming. On March 2, Gov. Dave Freudenthal signed into law new guidelines for school policies statewide.

The “Safe School Climate Act” requires school districts to adopt policies to stop bullying, harassment or intimidation and provide punishments for the bullies. The law instructs school districts to involve parents, teachers, administrators, school staff and community members in the process of forming a policy.

Douglas Middle School

At Douglas Middle School, Assistant Principal Dan Edwards is just one of the people who has worked to stop bullying.

Edwards is a supporter of the law and challenges those who question the need for the law. For him, bullying is not just another part of life to be accepted.

“Just because you've been called a name, does it make it right?” he asked.

Some students might be made tougher because of it, he pointed out. However, some students might be really hurt by it.

“None of us want a child to feel bad, it will affect their education,” Edwards said.

Parents come to him with problems, which the school does its best to address, but it’s hard to get a number for how often bullying takes place.

“It’s our number one priority,” Edwards said.

This might be why reports of incidences have declined for the last five years. In the 2003-04 school year, there were more than 100 reported incidents of harassment at DMS. By last school year, that number was reduced to 24.

Edwards said many of the provisions in the bill were already in place at the middle school.

“I’d like to think we have a great impact on curbing those behaviors,” Edwards said.

Douglas High School

At Douglas High School administrators, from Officer Rick Dutcher to counselors like Bonnie Lane, have been addressing the issue for years.

“Bullying is an issue you have to act on immediately,” Dutcher said. “If they believe you are going to listen, they will come to you.”

Dutcher has been the School Resource Officer at the high school for three years. He has been a school resource officer for 11 years. Though his office is located at the high school, he serves all the schools in town.

He said kids need to know that they won’t go unpunished.

“If they know there are consequences, it helps a lot,” he said, adding it helps both the victim and the perpetrator.

A growing problem is electronic bullying, the use of cell phones and internet sites to intimidate and harass, Dutcher said.

The online fight video is an example of this new era of menacing. Dutcher said he was able to cite the youth involved after reporting the video to the web site it was removed.

Dutcher feels the new law addresses these cyber-bullying issues, as it has language giving school boards more authority to handle these problems.

The new law also extends the schools’ authority to deal with problems at bus stops.

Dutcher stressed the importance of dealing with bullying.

“I don’t think anyone can focus on their studies if they're afraid,” Dutcher said.

He admits this is the same behavior that has gone on forever. However, the impact can last for a lifetime.

“If we still remember it, are we okay with it?” he asked rhetorically.

Dutcher said it is important to not just stop the behavior, but to understand what is causing it.

“If you get someone doing it a lot, they’re angry. There is a reason they’re angry,” he said.

As SRO, Dutcher is in a unique position to handle bullying problems. He has the power to get involved with incidences between students at home, when their actions violate the law.

In addition to Dutcher, counselors Bonnie Lane and Mike Marcus are key to making students feel comfortable at school.

“Some students are doing it in a teasing manner,” Lane said. “If the other person doesn't see it as a joke, we address it.”

Marcus said he deals with a couple incidences each month.

“If it's serious our first contact is our administrators,” Marcus said.

Marcus has noticed the world of bullying moving toward the 21st century.

“I’ve been involved with several incidences with e-mail and texting,” Marcus said.

This form of communication makes it easier for the bully, but it also makes it easier for those trying to stop it.

Dutcher said students will come to him and describe a worrying text message. He asks for them to forward the message to his cell phone. Then, when he sits down with the person who sent the message, he can show it to them.

Douglas School Board

The problem is dealt with on the ground level by the schools, but the policies and the tools needed come from higher up: The school Board.

School board member Kim Hiser has worked on the issue and supports the new law.

“I think it’s wonderful," she said. “We were hoping something like this would go through.”

She said it backs the current school district policies. But, while those policies provide guidance and can enforce rules, they don’t stop behavior, she explained.

Having a flexible policy is important to Hiser.

“What people want is a consequence in writing, you can enact every single time,” Hiser said. “You can’t do that.”

She said it is important to remember the schools are working with kids.

“They make mistakes and learn from their mistakes,” Hiser said. “As a school it is our job to help them learn from mistakes.”

Legislative Discussion

A strong supporter of the law is state Senator Jim Anderson.

“I think it is one of the most significant pieces of legislation in this session,” he said. “Children must feel safe in order to learn and to achieve.”

He said it gives good direction to school districts across the state. Bullying problems could cause drop outs, suicide and violence as witnessed at the Columbine shooting in Colorado, he said.

“The bigger goal is to provide for the protection of children,” he said.

The law wasn’t supported by everyone, though.

State Representative Frank Peasley, who serves the Eastern part of Converse County, voted against the bill. He wanted it to be clear he didn’t speak against the bill, he just voted against it.

“What is it this bill does that needs to be done now?” he asked. From his view, the new legislation doesn’t do much.

“Everything that is harmful about bullying is already illegal,” he said. “I don't see what it accomplishes.”

Peasley questioned how much social engineering and behavioral control society wants to do.

“I find the effort to continue to legislate behavior a fascinating social experiment,” he said.

He questioned what kind of behavior is covered by this bill that a teacher or administrator wouldn’t protect students from without the law. He fears that this bill is going to be amended in a couple years to further regulate behavior.

Peasley actually voted for the bill when it was first in the House, but voted against it when it returned from the Senate.

Click Here for source

Policy Development Sheet: – School Bus Code of Conduct - Click Here for Link

FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Child Left Behind, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.



There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains.


Edited by - JK on 03/14/2009 09:02:50 AM
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 03/14/2009 :  09:19:05 AM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Lawmakers work to boost anti-bully law

By RYAN KOST, Associated Press Writer

SALEM, ORE. — One after another, Sonya Fischer told the students’ stories.

Luke and Sterling, she said, both have Asperger’s syndrome. “They don’t understand social situations like other students.”

Both were harassed, both were called names.

One day, on a crowded bus, some students snapped a picture of Sterling on a cell phone then passed it around to cries of “ugly” and “stupid.“

Then there was William. A week before his parents found him dead in their car, a seat belt twisted about his neck, he’d been taunted and bullied at school.

All of this despite the fact that less than 10 years ago Oregon passed an anti-bullying law, said Fischer, a member of Family and Community Together, one of several groups pushing the legislation.

These sorts of stories — and two recently released studies that show more than 30 percent of Oregon teens report being harassed — have legislators introducing a bill to strengthen the old law.

“We all want our students to be safe, and that’s what this is about,” said Rep. Sara Gelser, a Corvallis Democrat and chair of the House education committee. Gelser spoke, along with Fischer, at a Wednesday press conference about the legislation, which will get its first hearing in her committee later this week.

Speakers also took a moment to highlight two reports that showed minority students were more likely to be bullied than their white or straight counterparts.

More than 43 percent of eleventh-grade Native American and Alaska Native students report being harassed compared to the average 30 percent. Just under 50 percent of eighth-grade African-American students reported bullying compared to the average 38 percent.

The numbers were much the same for sexual minorities; more than half of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students surveyed for one study reported hiding their sexual orientation or sexual identity.

“Clearly, we are not succeeding,” said Ebony Smith, a Portland State University student and a member of the group that helped draft the report on racial minorities. “We have yet to see any noticeable decline in this disparity” since the original legislation passed.

The proposed changes include expanding the law to cover psychological as well as physical harassment and identifying particularly vulnerable “protected classes” — those set apart by race, color, religion, national origin and sexual orientation.

The law also seeks to make the policies more readily available and to give parents and students a clear path to help by having school districts appoint someone responsible for receiving and investigating reports of bullying and harassment.

Finally, districts would provide the Department of Education with data on bullying reports each year. The bill, if approved, would take effect July 1.

These additions might have made all the difference for Rachel Cushman and her brother, two Chinook Indians.

Both were bullied at school, called things like “savages,” “heathens” and “stupid,” Cushman said. Her brother, who was also dyslexic, was hardest hit. It was “impossible for him to succeed.”

“While he was suffering, the teachers would just say ‘That’s how kids are,’” Cushman said. “This all could have been prevented if there had been stronger bullying legislation.”

Click Here for source

Policy Development Sheet: – School Bus Code of Conduct - Click Here for Link

FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Child Left Behind, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire, Danger Zones and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.



There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains.

Edited by - JK on 05/25/2009 2:08:04 PM
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 06/18/2009 :  09:53:06 AM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Workplace bullying issues and answers, "What is Bullying?," presented earlier in this thread was a report based mostly on US and Canadian resources. The following report, Bullying Remedies," looks at kids bullying on the school bus and includes concepts from Britain and Australia. It is a work in process and subject to change until finalized. ~ (jk)

Bullying Remedies - Draft Updated July 5, 2009

This report presents a compilation of concepts studied among school bus drivers, industry staff, parents, and behavioral experts gathered over the past two decades. None of the information presented here should be considered a substitute for legal or medical professional services provided from those professions.

By James Kraemer, 2safeschools.org

For several years my interest in workplace bullying had my attention. It was disappointing to eventually discover how often attempts to stop bullying in the workplace fails, that most bullying in the workplace is initiated by managers, and that about seventy-percent of the time the target can find no remedy that stops the bullying. Once targeted the only real remedy for most ‘targets’ is to leave that department or that employer as soon as possible.

Adult workplace bullying behavior seems to involve an identifiable group of willing individuals clustered around a primary instigator, oftentimes their boss.

So many maltreated employees do the same thing, they hope and wait, and wait, and wait hoping things will get better. And when it doesn't they hope and wait some more failing to understand that once a target the attacks continue until the employee leaves.

There is no point to becoming publicly angry. That pitfall is what the bully counts on. There may be a need to get smart, know the options, know ones' own healthy limits, and to act.

Among the thirty-percent that prevailed in the workplace are those that acted quickly to stop the bullying. These did not allow it to go too personal. They often were able to demonstrate to upper management how workplace bullying affected morale, efficiency, and the costs of workplace bullying to the employer. Can they really afford that manager in charge?

The greatest successes that can come from engaging in battle is when the position taken is the correct one and when it helps others beyond the specific person wronged.

Although there are many excellent stop ‘workplace-bullying’ organizations, the Workplace Bullying Institute (www.workplacebullying.org) stands out as one of the best US adult workplace online help sites for both employees and employers.

Founders Drs. Gary and Ruth Namie established an online presence to help others after Dr. Ruth experienced uninvited bullying firsthand at a large HMO. In 1998 the Namie’s began helping others in the US by starting the Campaign Against Workplace Bullying in the San Francisco Bay Area. They established the only US bullying telephone crisis-line at that time, helping over 5000 individuals.

When working within a dysfunctional workplace environment it is not hard to do well on behalf of fellow employees, the employer and oneself. The hard part is surviving it.

Schoolchildren experience a similar dilemma in their schoolplace.

“In the United States, about 160,000 children miss school every day for fear of being bullied,” according to the National Association of School Psychologists.

Barbara Coloroso, author of "The Bully, The Bullied, and The Bystander: Breaking the Cycle of Violence. Presents that some of these children endure rides on buses where bullies have the run.” (~ ‘When the school bus becomes a scary place,’ By Cathryn J. Prince, Contributor to the Christian Science Monitor)

The effort to understand bulling was interfered with during my studies by an onslaught of special interest extremism concerning this topic when involving children. It reached a point in my study of this issue that anything that involved some form of violence was tagged bullying or mobbing.

The topic eventually seemed too overwhelming to address in a meaningful manner concerning what interventions might be of any use or present a long-term effect, since nature also seemed imbedded in the behavior beyond making choice a reality.

But even in nature there is some level of choice, based beyond instinct and also to that of personality in creatures. Most anyone that has owned more than a few pets would probably notice this difference. Mankind simply has more choices at higher thinking capacities. Our level of awareness is far greater in some areas than that of other creatures. That does not delude the reality that mankind has instinct as well, but that enhanced awareness, supervision, and greater choices can control some tendencies, even subdue certain instincts.

Forms of bullying may include a stalking mentality, pushing, fighting, verbal remarks and such, but these things themselves may not identify actual bullying sufficient for the purpose to intervene in a useful way, at least by involving some specific bullying statute.

Assault (fighting) may be just that, and verbal remarks may be learned unlawful discrimination or learned bigotry. These issues may be more effective when dealt within their legal terms.

Repetitive and relentless attacks from one individual (with occasional assistance from another individual) may fit adequate intervention strategies and penalties when processed as assault, harassment and/or stalking.

Actual bullying (mobbing), for the purpose of definition, education and intervention may be defined as deliberate, systematic and relentless verbal and sometimes physical attacks toward a targeted individual over time, and usually by a group of students with a core leader orchestrating the outrage.

This cluster of students malconduct can eventually develop a spirit of it's own toward the target.

A group may have an appearance of several instigators where convenient, such as one leader on the bus, another in a certain classroom, another on the playground, and yet another where opportunity exists in the community. Regardless, there is often one primary instigator that originally promoted, led and may continue to lead the cluster.

Seattle Times columnist Jan Faull, a specialist in child development and behavior, wrote in one of her column's concerning bullying, “Bullies typically are sugary sweet to adults; their tactics emerge when left without adult supervision.” (~ Nov 17, 2007 - Special to the Seattle Times)

Regardless of a sugary sweet presentation toward most adults, it remains that intervention from an adult staff member within a vulnerable environment (a teacher or bus driver) may result in becoming a target. Cameras on the buses and adult awareness and support in the classroom are essentials to identifying violence some kids act out toward staff.

A primary instigator may not fit the old mentality – that of an ugly, dumb and unpopular student with low self-esteem, but may be a popular, intelligent student with an abundance of self-esteem and with manipulative leadership skills. Talent that is acting out alone, or along with a subordinate fellow student, or perhaps orchestrating a mob of students that chose to follow the lead of the originator’s outrage.

Deliberate, systematic, and relentless attacks over time seem important elements when defining bullying against both children and also toward staff.

The target may be able to identify the first occurrence of bullying, not necessarily the person that started the original outrage (such as from a rumor), but the first known occurrence of the outrage helps make it possible to trace back to the source. Where the first occurrence happened, who did it, and the frequency of reoccurrence may all be traceable, by starting with the first known occurrence and working to the source from there. (The child that claims not to know who told him or her may be the original source.)

Targets ought to be informed to consider:

Who first began the bullying and where? (The actual originator may be hidden somewhere behind the first occurrence, but the first known occurrence can often be identified.)

What was the first remark from that person that escalated the bullying from others?

How long has this been reoccurring and what persons have been following the originator’s lead?

Special interests and extremism bog down resolving many things including bullying. An originator bully may promote that a certain child is gay. Be that the case or not is irrelevant. What is relevant, under the definition I presented, would be the deliberate, systematic and relentless attacks toward a target by an identifiable group of students involved in that outrage.

Seems that too much time can be spent on attention to and on trying to understand the bullies. It would seem, in my opinion, more productive to focus more attention on the well behaved and also the targets – to educate as well as investigate from the target side of the issue. It may be useful to find out who the targets might be, and working from there to consider what options is most appropriate for the bullies involved.

My notice on the school buses includes students that seem isolated or isolating themselves from others – a quiet student sitting near the driver, or the recipient of persistent crude or cruel remarks and the resulting laughter from a cluster of students. We ought to also rely on and take seriously any student that seems hurt by the remarks, an appearance of ignoring the remarks, looking out the bus window or downward.

Would not think it a responsibility of the typical school bus driver, for example, to over analyze the reason a student seems isolated, but to note such things and quietly pass it on to the school.

We must keep in mind that school bus drivers do not usually have the training or the time to engage in much analyzing or dialog with students. The part bus drivers can play in helping to stop bullying among students must not detract from their main duty - to navigate the bus safely through traffic. Their part must be simple enough to accommodate the average bus driver that cares about kids but also remember that bus drivers must focus attention to conditions on the road outside his or her bus.

Seems workable that during the initial intervention and before acting the bus driver would attempt to quietly identify the first known remark or action that occurred on the bus, work back to the first known originator that day on that bus, as well as the prominent sidekick involved.

A verbal response from a potential target telling a student or the cluster to ‘stop’ can be taken very seriously but may require some history as bullies can switch roles presenting themselves as the victim. Without some history the actual target can be mistaken as a bully and vice-versa.

A bully and sidekick that persists can be off the bus and in the school office explaining themselves while the bus continues on schedule, all this without involving the target.

A cluster that participates with laughter and additional taunting can expect a reprimand, as these students are a part of the problem and are not acting out an appropriate character attribute expected from the well behaved.

Among the students that unwittingly laugh are also students that may help intervene in bullying once these are made aware of this shortcoming in their behavior and the resulting injury bullying can cause fellow students.

Most everyone have the ability to bully. Bullying is a choice that can be learned, and also can be intervened in wherever and whenever the adults involved make the decision and a deliberate commitment to make that happen.

The Method of Shared Concern

Some experts believe the targets of bullying are too often interviewed extensively without first observing the bullies involved in the reported malbehavior. Closer attention may be needed concerning observing the bullies interactions with the target, the bully's assistance, including the behavior of the known bystanders, and collecting information concerning these activities.

The Method of Shared Concern, as explained by University of South Australia’s Dr. Ken Rigby is a procedure for working on bully/target problems in schools. His report mentions that the method was devised by Swedish psychologist, Anatol Pikas (pronounced "peekas"), an alternative method used to deal with bullying that focuses more effort on observing the activities of a bully or group of bullies toward their target.

While discussing a draft of this article Dr. Rigby pointed out that punishment is not the focus of the Shared Concern concept. The concept involves various stages of dialog and a non-punitive problem-solving approach. The ‘Shared Concern’ method is focused on groups where bullying is of, “moderate severity and to involve groups of secondary or late primary school students.”

The Method of Shared Concern includes elements that may provide the best overall approach to dealing with mild to moderate bullying on the school buses. Including the ‘Shared Concern’ philosophy within the context of other interventions can expand it’s use to all age groups.

On the school bus the concerns of the well behaved students must be prepared with something to do when a few defiant students begin to escalate – to choose to join the disrespectful conduct in some way and experience a potential consequence as well, or to remain calm and to watch what happens next.

Convincing the well-behaved students to get involved in a constructive way, to help keep watch and report bullying seems a method that can help reduce bullying.

Warren Farm Primary School children in the UK have a plan they act on when needed. “Bullying is being nasty and hurting each other inside and outside,” says seven-year-old Terri Bryan. “If I saw something I would tell a teacher or I would get a mediator to find out what was the matter.” (Sept. 15, 2008, Birmingham Mail, UK press article, “Warren Farm Primary School pupils know how to tackle the bullies.”)

However, too much emphasis on children’s reports can cause the bullies to act out more carefully while expanding their attacks toward their targets in other environments where supervision is limited or nonexistent, including on the Internet. Changing unwanted behavior when unsupervised is where the effects of the ‘Shared Concern’ method may also prove useful.

The adults involved need also to restrain themselves from saying to reporters, “Don’t be a tattletale,” choosing instead to note the report, note the participants involved, including any bystanders, and continue to quietly observe any additional activities involving potential bullying for later review.

Rigby recommends first interviewing the bully (and separately interviewing the other known students attacking the target) and without providing knowledge of the target’s report, if reported by the target, but based on reports, for example, from teachers, bus drivers, other adult staff, and also anonymous reports from student witnesses.

Targets of bullying are often reluctant to report bullying, the concern that doing so will only make matters worse. Too often that is the reality, especially when the bully is too quickly disciplined as a direct result of the target’s report.

Even on the school bus the target may perceive worse is coming and change course in an effort to minimize additional consequences from the bully involved. The target may suddenly backtrack any statements made and become silent or disrespectful to the adult authority involved, at which point the bully involved may shift to using the target to begin a campaign to bully the bus driver.

Bystanders can become invisible, by remaining quiet and out of the event, or may laugh with other bystanders to indicate they are not a threat to the bully. Some may join in heckling the bus driver when thinking it is safe to do so.

I’ve seen this effect happen on the school buses, which has also affected how I dealt with bullying on the bus. I no longer asked the target if he or she wanted to make a complaint about the bullying, but focused on what environment I wanted on the bus and dealt with bullies from that perspective.

When intervening in bullying it is notable that the bully can turn his or her attention on the bus driver with public attempts to mob the driver in an effort to somehow escalate that driver. The effort seems to include the bully attempting to make himself or herself the victim of a so-called unfair seat change or some other alleged violation of rights.

A child acting out on the school bus can provide the calmer reporter, an adult with authority on the bus, to deal directly ‘in the moment’ with that child’s malbehavior. The focus at that point is on what is harming the bus environment, not so much on what is harming the target.

An aware bus driver can notice the potential interaction, the percolating escalation, and also provide the well behaved some alternative way to act and before a busload of students is provided some excuse to rally behind a bully.

Since the misbehaving student’s conduct is now a public display the bus driver may be under obligation to respond 'in the moment.' Is that response to be silence? A kind word? Anger? A statement of some sort?

Exactly how to intervene may depend on how well the bus driver has prepared the well behaved. Do the well behaved understand what is going to happen next when any child acts out on the school bus? Do they need a reminder to remain calm and to watch (witness) before an encounter begins?

One possible ‘in the moment’ response to any unruly student:

The bus driver warns according to the usual child management expectation on the school bus. Persistence from a child triggers involvement from at least one other adult – a call for assistance from school staff when at the school. When in route a call to dispatch on the radio (another adult).

Bus Driver: “Bus (#) is off route while a few students are deciding would they prefer to now follow directions. I may have to return one or more students to the school. Please stand by.”

This approach, based on my experience with various groups of well informed students virtually ended the necessity to return an unruly child to the school. The unruly child is usually adequately self-restrained long enough to complete the route. Any potential escalation from the group eases away quickly, as the focus becomes nearly exclusive to the misbehavior from the malbehaved. When that is resolved interest in an escalation is contained.

It is well established in press reports that a bully can escalate when confronted. Effective follow-up on an event is essential to maintaining a civil environment on the school bus.

Both the well behaved and the unruly expect the bus driver to follow-through in some fashion. That may be as simple as a seat change and a warning to something more serious, such as enforcing the child’s removal from the bus.

The bully may escalate on the bus. The response promised must then be followed. The dialog that follows in the school with these students by trained staff is where the Method of Shared Concern can be very effective.

Once intervention is launched and a retaliatory response is noticed, this outcome may prompt a necessity to act more quickly toward the desired outcome. Adult support must be in place to meet this need.

There remains a possibility from the worst behaved to plot some sort of retaliation. Bullies are what they are – bullies. Intervention includes a risk from some form of retaliation, making intervention unattractive to the passive. Rather than intervene the otherwise competent adult staff may turn a blind eye or otherwise ignore what is happening in their environment. Any wonder the reason so many kids do not get involved when avoidance is happening among the adult staff?

Adults have mutual concerns and a shared responsibility to help insure the buses are safe places for children and also safe workplaces for school bus drivers.

Regardless, bullied kids, bullied adults and bystanders alike often do not report what is happening in their environment as long as they feel it would do nothing other than make things worse.

Where the bullied child is willing to take an assertive role in stopping the bullying, telling the bully to ‘stop bullying now’ may stop the bullying. However, asking the target to solve the problem is not an effective standard, according to Stan Davis, now in his eleventh year helping schools nationwide implement bullying prevention programs and founder of www.stopbullyingnow.com.

Davis believes, "Just as in our social reaction to other forms of abuse, we have all tried to get the victims of bullying to act differently to solve the problem. We have trained victims to: be assertive; blend in; ignore bullying; pretend bullying does not bother them. The problem with these approaches used in isolation, no matter how good our intentions in using them, is that they displace responsibility for stopping bullying from us to the victims."

The bullied child in general can not be counted on to stop the bullying, not without effective support from the adults involved and also from the well behaved students encouraged to help intervene. Bullying may not stop at this point but awareness about bullying remains a form of supervision.

It is these various forms of self-supervision in concert with adult staff supervision that can help restrain bullying. The more staff and students involved in stopping bullying the greater the possibility that bullies tend to restrain themselves.

Rigby eloquently points out that in cases where the target has provoked some of the bullying the school must work to facilitate adjustments in the behavior from both sides. This activity may include playing the role of mediator or recommending appropriate options to the students, their parents, and to the other adults involved.

Staff may not feel they can help without effective training and support in place that includes options to meet the needs of various staff members.

A parent of a bullied child may react with demands to stop the bullying and without expecting any change in behavior on their child’s part. This response is not much different than while standing between a cub and her mother bear trying to explain that her cub exploring the picnic table is a problem. Not much to discuss until mother bear is convinced her cub is safe.

Parents of a child that bullies may have issues as well, perhaps demand their child’s perceived rights over that of helping end the violence for the benefit and safety of all concerned. In some cases these sorts may privately say to their child how proud they are of him or her, having trained their child to practice climbing the latter of success by destroying the losers in their way.

Bullies may need help to intervene in their own behavior, at the least given closer supervision until it is apparent the encouragement and also the self-discipline involved has its way.

What is to be done about the psychopath that feels no empathy whatsoever toward his or her targets?

And this: "We have a bullying program at Hazelden because we know that all the risk factors related to young people are interrelated. We also know there is a connection between kids who bully and alcohol and other drug use." ( ~ Marty Harding, director of training and consultation at Hazelden's publishing wing.)

These anomalies need addressing in policy and may include referring to professional child therapists and possibly strategies that involve law enforcement and the courts.

What about the bystanders? The lack of action from bystanders or making the decision to join in the bullying is both offensive responses when dealing with this issue. Kids not instructed with training to cover what to do in a variety of situations are left to invent their own options.

Bystanders that participate with laughter and additional taunting are a part of the problem and are not acting out an appropriate character attribute expected from the well behaved.

Among the students that unwittingly laugh are also students that may help intervene in bullying once these are made aware of this shortcoming in their behavior and the resulting injury bullying can cause fellow students.

Most everyone have the ability to bully. Bullying often enough may be a choice that can be intervened in wherever and whenever the adults involved make the decision to make that happen.

The inclusion of options presented in this article does not take away from the Method of Shared Concern concept. The concept remains very useful in schools and on the school buses, that is the bus driver at least trained to snap-shot notice what is happening in their environment, acting out an effective response, and passing that information on to school authorities. A part of the Shared Concern dialog fits appropriately within that criterion.

A Final Note

Attempting to put bullying into a meaningful action article seemed more difficult than most issues. Both the varieties of issues and evolving approaches to deal with bullying can be overwhelming, especially when concerning children. No doubt this would be an ongoing issue for schools as well.

No question that whatever the approach no single approach is perfect, but that training and options help things along toward stopping bullying in our schools.

The more people involved with the correct training and with the correct tools to help stop bullying, then the more likely this issue may resolve itself.

‘The Method of Shared Concern’ is a vital part of ending bullying in our schools and also on the school buses.

Download the report, The Method of Shared Concern, by Dr. Ken Rigby at this link – Click Here for pdf report. Dr. Ken Rigby’s Website – Click Here. Also a Google search with the terms, THE METHOD OF SHARED CONCERN Dr. Ken Rigby, will bring up a variety of links concerning this topic.

Stop Bullying Now! Website – Includes downloadable videos for class training and discussion.

Stop Bullying/Prevention- Stan Davis Presents practical research-based strategies to help reduce bullying in schools.

Workplace Bullying Institute – an effective resource for both employers and employees. Website

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People® - An Interdependent management style that helps ease away the effects of a previous workplace bullying management style. Webpage | Support Forum

Bullying Report Form - Updated to focus on instigator issues. Not available on-line while setting up a new website for this coming school year. Can order a copy (pdf) from 2safeschools Library Manager: safeschs@dnc.net - Subject: bullyrpt.pdf Bully Report Form Request.

Feedback is welcomed. (jk)

Policy Development Sheet: – School Bus Code of Conduct - Click Here for Link



IMPORTANT NOTICE
All 2safeschools presentations, training evaluations, manuals, other offerings are offered only as guidelines for development of school bus driver, school staff, parent and children training programs. All individuals and sources involved in the development of these guides accept no liability for its content. Where there is any question about implementing these materials, first check with your state's PTS or school board for approval.

Edited by - JK on 07/06/2009 10:37:55 AM
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 07/06/2009 :  09:19:51 AM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by rokobus

A note on workplace bullying...while on the increase, it is very difficult to get help if you are confronting or going against your boss. I had this problem at my last job. Never before have I had such a circumstance. This person was unbelievable. All I can say is, if you are going to take someone on...document, document, document everything that happens (time, date, details). Have a paper trail of everything! WITNESSES are very crucial to winning any kind of settlement if you take them to court. The U.S. does not have firm laws against "bullying" in the workplace. It is open to interpretation. Until some cases pass through the legal system and are on the books for precedent, it will be a mountain to climb. Other countries have protective laws, we are very behind in this area. Unions are about the only thing that help a worker. Harassment laws, again are open to interpretation. If you work for a small company, some state laws do not apply. Believe me I tried! Just be patient, do not retaliate (for fear of being tagged and documented insubordinate, which goes on your record) and document all details with witnesses. Get a good civil rights/employment lawyer.


Excellent post. You're right, only a few states actually have a workplace bullying statute. Some states allow the term 'workplace bullying' in their proceedings. Insubordination is an easy pitfall, especially when setup by a boss wanting an employee out of the department for personal reasons. Been setup on that one myself – prevailed since my refusal to comply with a directive was connected to the safety of a child. There was no arrogance or personal refusal involved, nor an attempt to hide refusing the directive - simply a calm refusal and the reason for that refusal. According to the arbitrator involved, an event did not have to be ‘in the moment’ for the employee to refuse a directive that may place the safety of children at risk. That boss was mostly political driven and a pain. Seemed that no matter the outcome of a negative event it was the bus driver's fault. Any bullying from that boss was disorganized and relatively easy for employees to confront.

Did you prevail in your workplace situation? Prevailing could mean leaving so as to demonstrate no tolerance for that sort of conduct from a boss, could mean taking the boss to task and prevailing, or some other remedy. Would be interested in hearing the outcome in your situation. JK - safeschs@dnc.net

Policy Development Sheet: – School Bus Code of Conduct - Click Here for Link
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 09/04/2009 :  02:08:07 AM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Bus stop fight puts teen in Strickland

April Douglas

Sept 3 2009
FOX 10 TV NEWS

PRICHARD, Ala. - Some area parents feel bullies are making life miserable for their kids, and they want the police to do something. The cry for help stems from a fight at a school bus stop in Prichard.

A Prichard teen is hauled off to the Strickland Youth Center after a fight. The teen's mother, Kendra Lassiter, said the police got it wrong: her daughter is the victim.

"Saw this man grab my daughter and threw her up against the glass while his daughter worked on her," said Lassiter.

Lassister said she won't rest until the father daughter duo is behind bars.

"It is not right or fair."

Police are still trying to figure out what happened Wednesday afternoon at a school bus stop. Parents said bullies are making life hard for their kids.

Parents feel police aren't doing a thing about it.

"Prichard say inform them, and they do nothing. They say Prichard isn't bad neighborhood, it's what you make it," said Lakeitric Grisby.

Prichard Police Chief Lawerence Battiste says he's trying to contact everyone involved, but getting people to cooperate is a tough task.

"People want to tell you what happened, but no one wants to sign the warrant, and no one wants to come to court," said Chief Battiste.

Chief Battiste said a sure way to end teen violence, starts at home.

"More often than not, parents aren't getting involved with what's going on, and teaching kids what they need to know about conflict resolution," added Battiste.

A lesson the Chief said will keep kids on the straight and narrow. Chief Battiste encourages anyone involved in recent incidents involving teens to call his office. The number is (251) 452-7900.

Click Here for source

Free Photos, Ads, New School Year Bus Safety Template with Quiz - for use in schools and transportation departments to help promote school bus safety. Not for Resale use. Contact if release needed. You do not have to be a member to download these resources. Click Here for link

Policy Development Sheet: – School Bus Code of Conduct - Click Here for Link
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 04/11/2010 :  12:36:49 AM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Bullied To Death - The Tragedy of Phoebe Prince

The suicide of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince has rocked the Massachusetts town of South Hadley and shined a spotlight on the increasing problem of school bullying. Police say nine students have been charged in what is described as a months-long campaign of bullying that allegedly led to her death in January. Reports say the teen, who recently relocated from Ireland, was subjected to a torturous day of verbal harassment and physical abuse in front of students and faculty before she took her own life. Young people do not have to suffer in silence at the hands of bullies. ~ Dr. Phil

Alleged bullies of Phoebe Prince and what they are being charged with:

Sean Mulveyhill, 17: Statutory rape, violation of civil rights, criminal harassment (with bodily injury resulting), criminal harassment, disturbance of a school assembly

Kayla Narey, 17: Violation of civil rights (with bodily injury resulting), criminal harassment, disturbance of a school assembly

Austin Renaud, 18: Statutory rape

Ashley, Longe, 16: Violation of civil rights (with bodily injury resulting)

Flannery Mullins, 16: Violation of civil rights (with bodily injury resulting), stalking

Sharon Chanon Velazquez, 16: Violation of civil rights (with bodily injury resulting), stalking

Three other girls face delinquency charges; names have not been released.

The link takes you to another thread for a consistent download page. Bullied To Death - The Tragedy of Phoebe Prince (Post #13). A video is imbedded in the document - Click Read Only). The document can be sent to others as an email attachment or offered for download at your website. (jk)
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 06/20/2010 :  11:40:53 PM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
WORKPLACE
An effective collection of Workplace bullying interviews with Dr. Namie are now on You Tube.

Click Here for Link


FOR KIDS:
Young people do not have to suffer in silence at the hands of bullies - This link takes you to more infomation and a download page. Bullied To Death. A video is imbedded in the document. This document can be sent to others as an email attachment or offered for download at your website.

Edited by - JK on 06/20/2010 11:43:25 PM
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 07/12/2010 :  12:13:38 AM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Do your managers know new legal threat of workplace bullying?

by Tim Gould,
Behavior, Employment law, Special Report

June 11, 2010
HR Morning.com

Get ready for a new way for employees to get their companies in legal hot water: workplace bullying.

The New York State Senate recently passed a bipartisan measure that would allow workers who’ve been bullied by a boss or co-worker to sue their employer for damages. The bill now goes to the State Assembly for final passage.

And New York’s not the only state considering such legislation. At least 11 others are doing so, including Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Washington.

Verbal abuse, ostracism and secret supervision

So just what constitutes “bullying”? Here are a few examples:

» verbal abuse, including deliberate insults, calling people “stupid” or “idiots”
» slander, such as calling people “sluts,” or otherwise subjecting them to rude and disrespectful behavior
» ostracism, such as saying to someone: “We’re not taking you to lunch”
» subjecting someone to mean pranks
» unwelcome physical contact, or glaring at them
» persecution, such as deliberately withholding info from someone, depriving someone of needed resources or otherwise impeding their work, and/or
» secret supervision, discipline without cause, or being given unreasonable workloads or demands.
Where’s this sort of behavior most commonly found? In high-pressure environments where “making the numbers” is the all-important goal, the psychologists say. It appears that over-focusing on short-term goals and emphasizing individual performance brings out the dark side of human nature.

Given today’s “lean and mean” approach to staffing — and companies’ ever-growing emphasis on maintaining revenue streams — it’s not hard to imagine some form of bullying being a possibility in a wide range of workplaces.

The fighters on the front line of the battle against bullies: your managers. Could be a good time to provide some extra training for supervisors so they can spot the early signals — and maybe save the company from an expensive lawsuit down the road.

For an overview of the issue of workplace bullying, go here.

Click Here for source

NEW FOR 2010 SCHOOL YEAR!
Stopping bullying on the school buses - Fast Track slide presentation to help stop bullying on the school buses. Includes class handouts. Free to use in self-study, for class training, and for presentation to the school board. Click Here for Link (See Post # 14)
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 07/16/2010 :  03:28:12 AM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Portage school bus bully accused of harassing Walgreens pharmacist

One of the suspects was part of the group of boys who police say terrorized classmates on a Portage school bus in 2008 and 2009.

By Ken Kosky ken. kosky@nwi.com, (219) 548-4354

July 16, 2010
NWI.COM NEWS, NW INDIANA
PORTAGE -- Three were arrested after a Walgreens pharmacist accused them of throwing a full water bottle at his face and harassing him while he was using the store's bathroom.

One of the suspects was part of the group of boys who police say terrorized classmates on a Portage school bus in 2008 and 2009.

After the incident, which occurred about 1:42 a.m. Thursday at the Walgreens store at 6030 Central Ave., police located and arrested the suspects.

Eddie McCloud-Hughes, 20, of Hammond, was arrested on initial charges of battery, disorderly conduct, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and criminal gang activity. Police said he is the one who threw the water bottle.

His brother, Charles McCloud-Smith, 17, of Lake Station, was arrested along with a 16-year-old Portage boy on initial charges of disorderly conduct and criminal gang activity.

McCloud-Smith pleaded guilty earlier this year to felony theft in connection with a shoplifting incident and pleaded guilty to charges of strangulation, intimidation and public indecency in connection with the school bus misbehavior. He was sentenced to jail time already served and was placed on probation for more than four years.

Porter County Prosecutor Brian Gensel said officials are aware of the latest incident involving McCloud-Smith.

The pharmacist told police he was seated in a bathroom stall at Walgreens when the suspects entered, yelled at him and banged on the stall door. He told police several paper items were thrown at him over the stall door. He stated a full water bottle was thrown at him, hitting him in the face.

The pharmacist chased the suspects outside. The suspects fled, but were quickly caught by police.

Click Here for source

Do your managers know about new legal threat of workplace bullying?
June 11, 2010 by Tim Gould
Click Here for full story

NEW FOR 2010 SCHOOL YEAR!
Stopping bullying on the school buses - Fast Track slide presentation to help stop bullying on the school buses. Includes class handouts. Free to use in self-study, for class training, and for presentation to the school board. Click Here for Link (See Post # 14)

Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 07/20/2010 :  09:27:01 AM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Middle school students writing a book about bullying

By Rafael A. Olmeda,

July 19, 2010
The Sun Sentinel

Florida -- Michael learns how to be abusive from watching how his dad treats his mom. Lucina never learned to be a bully, but since she's privileged, why shouldn't she lord it over those who are not?

The two pre-teens have little in common except for their ages, their obnoxious behavior, and the fact each is the figment of the collective imagination of a group of about 50 middle schoolers collaborating on a book called "I Was a Bully … But I Stopped."

The book, a work in progress, is on a fast track to be printed next month, in time to be distributed throughout Broward County's elementary schools as part of the school district's anti-bullying program. It will also be available online.

"Bullying really hurts everybody in school, and it takes everybody to stop it," said local author Bob Knotts, who conceived of the book and, as founder of the Dania Beach-based Humanity Project, developed the free workshop producing it.

After the book is distributed in Broward, Knotts said he intends to offer it to the Palm Beach County and Miami-Dade school districts.

Broward County was the first school district in Florida to develop an anti-bullying program; the rest of the state's districts following suit by the end of 2008. ...

Click Here for full story

NEW FOR 2010 SCHOOL YEAR!
Stopping bullying on the school buses - Fast Track slide presentation to help stop bullying on the school buses. Includes class handouts. Free to use in self-study, for class training, and for presentation to the school board. Click Here for Link (See Post # 14)
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 07/20/2010 :  10:45:49 AM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
ISSN 1544-6808. ISBN: 978-0-309-14248-9
Project MC-21: Special Safety Concerns of School Bus Drivers

This survey was mentioned earlier in this tread, is completed and is posted at this link (pdf Document). The issues with school buses begins on page Ten.

Some acting like bullies early on have stopped posting leaving this thread to post relevant issues when found. The feedback is from the civil in recent months.

Some posts are indeed l-e-e-nthy, as complicated as this issue can become warrants keeping access to details available. I think it is worth the effort to maintain an area where this issue can be explored by any wanting to do so, but also easily avoided by any wanting to do that. This approach also saved well over one hundred individual threads in our forum, which apparently some didn't consider.

If I wasted my time here to post the information in this thread, which I doubt, at least the opportunity to have access to what is happening to confront workplace and schoolplace bullying has not been denied any interested. The interested are worth my time, as you are the ones that can impact this issue in the most positive ways. Thank you for helping keep kids safe. (jk)

Do your managers know about new legal threat of workplace bullying?
June 11, 2010 by Tim Gould
Click Here for full story

NEW FOR 2010 SCHOOL YEAR!
Stopping bullying on the school buses - Fast Track slide presentation to help stop bullying on the school buses. Includes class handouts. Free to use in self-study, for class training, and for presentation to the school board. Click Here for Link (See Post # 14)

Edited by - JK on 07/20/2010 2:35:34 PM
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 07/27/2010 :  8:52:42 PM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
SCHOOL BUS DRIVER IGNORES BULLYING: DISTRICT SUED
Surveillance video shows alleged school bus assault

"It's actually quite appalling to watch the bus driver actively ignore what's going on two seats behind him," said Ed Kopko, attorney for the child's mother.

By: Tamara Lindstrom

July 27, 2010
YNN NEWS

NEW YORK -- The mother of a mentally handicapped boy is suing the Trumansburg School District after she says her son was attacked by a bully on the school bus and the driver ignored his cries for help. Our Tamara Lindstrom has more and shows us the video of the alleged assault.

TRUMANSBURG, N.Y. -- It was an incident that angered a mother and sparked a lawsuit and now a video shows just how it happened.

"It's actually quite appalling to watch the bus driver actively ignore what's going on two seats behind him," said Ed Kopko, attorney for the child's mother.

The mother of the then elementary school student has filed a suit against the Trumansburg Central School District for failing to protect her son from harassment and bullying.

"Because he is a special needs child, he is particularly vulnerable to this type of bullying. What this did for him was to terrify him in attending public schools," Kopko said.

The names of both parent and child have been withheld from court documents over concerns of further harassment. The lawsuit alleges that on May 5, 2008, the child was attacked by another student on the school bus.

"They immediately began very rough horseplay that escalated when the bully cornered my client in between the two seats and began to beat him," Kopko said.

Court papers allege when the child called for help from the only adult on the bus, his cries were ignored. The pair was eventually separated by another student. ...

Click Here for full story

NEW FOR 2010 SCHOOL YEAR!
Stopping bullying on the school buses - Fast Track slide presentation to help stop bullying on the school buses. Includes class handouts. Free to use in self-study, for class training, and for presentation to the school board. Click Here for Link (See Post # 14)

Edited by - JK on 03/22/2011 6:34:01 PM
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 08/15/2010 :  6:32:19 PM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Have questions concerning what bullying actually is?

Dr. Rigby answers the most common questions.

Dr Rigby, author of the Shared Concern school program, was recently asked to talk about some issues relating to bullying in schools by the Queensland Government as part of their Student Protection Policy. View an excerpt from the video: Video excerpt (Scan right sidebar for, Bullying: Common Questions Answered.)

The total video DVD package can be obtained by contacting Jim Myers, Principal Ethics Advisor, Prevention email: James.Meyers@qued.qld.gov.au | Website

NEW FOR 2010 SCHOOL YEAR!
Stopping bullying on the school buses - According to the American Public Health Association, the school bus is the second most common place for bullying to occur (the first is on the playground). This Fast Track slide presentation can help stop bullying on the school buses. Includes class handouts. Free to use in self-study, for class training, and for presentation to the school board. Click Here for Link (See Post # 14)

Edited by - JK on 08/15/2010 6:45:52 PM
Go to Top of Page

kathleenp980
New Member

2 Posts

Posted - 09/06/2010 :  01:31:34 AM  Show Profile  Visit kathleenp980's Homepage  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by JK

Any decent school bus driver that keeps his or her school bus environment a calm, safe place for children and a hostile-free workplace for the bus driver has done well enough to have earned a full days pay. (jk)

School Bus Safety CD

You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. ~H. Jackson Brown

Ten Things That Bad Managers Do, by Cyndi Maxey, CSP
According to management researcher Chandra Louise, 80% of the employees who quit their jobs do so because of problems with their bosses. While they may give the human resources staff other reasons for quitting, they will tell their friends, "I’d still be there even for that pittance of a salary if it weren’t for that awful boss." Click Here for source.

FREE School Bus Safety Ads & Photo Library
Post Check, Hostage Takeover, Bus Fire and special effects photos now available Free to use at websites, in newsletters, memos, the local press, letters to parents and more. This is a very popular Website. If you can't get in bookmark the page and try again later.



There is no school bus driver shortage!
Properly train, effective support and pay that retains.




Such a very amazing link!
Thanks you for the post.



__________________
[url=http://moviesonlineworld.com]watch free movies online[/url]

Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 09/17/2010 :  8:42:31 PM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Here is a great video for opening dialog concerning bullying on the school buses.

Click Here For Video

2safeschools.org YouTube Channel

NEW FOR 2010 SCHOOL YEAR!
Stopping bullying on the school bus - Complete with excellent video! According to the American Public Health Association, the school bus is the second most common place for bullying to occur (the first is on the playground). This Fast Track slide presentation can help stop bullying on the school buses. Includes class handouts. Free to use in self-study, for class training, and for presentation to the school board. Click Here for Link (See Post # 14)

Do your managers know about new legal threat of workplace bullying?
June 11, 2010 by Tim Gould
Click Here for full story

Edited by - JK on 09/19/2010 11:59:27 AM
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 09/20/2010 :  10:29:28 PM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
School bus drivers protest alleged poor treatment from supervisor

By Cara Fitzpatrick

Sept 20, 2010
The Palm Beach Post

Bus drivers marched outside the main offices of the Palm Beach County School District on Monday to draw attention to a supervisor whom they accused of bullying.

About 40 people waved signs and shouted. One sign read: "Stress Free Workplace Right Now."

"We are people, not animals," said Letty Rodriguez, a bus driver who attended the protest.

Barbara Watson, a representative for the Service Employees International Union, said about 30 of the protesters filed individual complaints on Monday against Terence Hightower, a senior transportation coordinator in the central bus compound, and asked that he be removed from his position in the district's transportation department.

Hightower, who has worked for the district since 2004, didn't return calls or e-mails asking for comment.

District spokesman Nat Harrington said district officials couldn't comment or release a copy of the complaints until the investigation ended.

Union President Alphonso Mayfield said the issue had triggered anger within the department about the "greater issue" of respect. Transportation employees haven't received a raise in three to four years, but they haven't complained because they understand the economic constraints facing the district, he said.

"But if you can't come in and be respected, then what do you have left?" he said.

Hightower, 40, of West Palm Beach, received a satisfactory evaluation last year and was praised for being a team player and for taking initiative, according to district records.

He also was asked to continue improving his "supervisory interpersonal relationship skills," and it was recommended that he read an article or book on the topic of supervision. He earns about $43,900 a year.

Click Here for source

Do your managers know about new legal threat of workplace bullying?
June 11, 2010 by Tim Gould
Click Here for full story

NEW FOR 2010 SCHOOL YEAR!
Stopping bullying on the school bus - Complete with excellent video! According to the American Public Health Association, the school bus is the second most common place for bullying to occur (the first is on the playground). This Fast Track slide presentation can help stop bullying on the school buses. Includes class handouts. Free to use in self-study, for class training, and for presentation to the school board. Click Here for Link (See Post # 14)

Edited by - JK on 09/20/2010 10:30:15 PM
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 11/06/2010 :  7:34:12 PM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Youngstown City Schools Focus on Bus Behavior

"I don't expect a bus driver to continue to drive a bus that is out of control," said Dr. Wendy Webb, superintendent.

Nov 05, 2010
WKBN 27 NEWS, Youngstown, OH

Youngstown City Schools are preparing to crack down on bad behavior on the school bus.

"I don't expect a bus driver to continue to drive a bus that is out of control," said Supt. Dr. Wendy Webb.

Friday morning, the district announced a new contract between parents, students and the school that spells out the rules of riding.

"We already had a couple buses this year that we weren't pleased with the behavior," said Webb. "The majority of the kids are fine. But kids tend to do kid things. Stand on the bus, eat on the bus."

On top of eating, standing up and being loud, there is another growing problem on the ride to and from school for students.

"Bullying has become a big issue now," said Winnie Timpson, chief of transportation. "Where it's not actually physical altercations any more. It's intimidation and harassment. To where a kid might be sitting to you, you may never hit him, but you intimidate him by something that you say." ...

Click Here for full story

NEW FOR 2010 SCHOOL YEAR!
Stopping bullying on the school bus - Complete with excellent video! According to the American Public Health Association, the school bus is the second most common place for bullying to occur (the first is on the playground). This Fast Track slide presentation can help stop bullying on the school buses. Includes class handouts. Free to use in self-study, for class training, and for presentation to the school board. Click Here for Link (See Post # 14)
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 12/24/2010 :  11:36:03 PM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote
THEY JUST DON'T GET IT. IT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM BUT FOR THOSE THAT REMEMBER THAT OLD MOVIE 'THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS' THEY WANT A SIGN THEY CAN ACCEPT.

Search continues for answers in Midd-West teen's suicide

By Evamarie Socha

Nov. 9, 2010
The Daily Item

MOUNT PLEASANT MILLS , PA - There are no official answers yet to the role bullying played in the suicide Friday of a 14-year-old Midd-West High School freshman, and school administrators, friends and family are still looking for what led to the young man’s tragic end.

Brandon Bitner, a 14-year-old Midd-West freshman, said in his suicide note that he’d been victimized by bullies for five years and as recently as two days before his death, said Brandon’s mother, Tammy Simpson. ...

Click Here for full story

Stop Violence on the school buses!
Stop bullying and other violence - Complete with excellent video! According to the American Public Health Association, the school bus is the second most common place for bullying to occur (the first is on the playground). This Fast Track slide presentation can help stop bullying on the school buses. Includes class handouts. Free to use in self-study, for class training, and for presentation to the school board. Click Here for Link (See Post # 14)

Edited by - JK on 03/22/2011 6:15:09 PM
Go to Top of Page

JK
Top Member

USA
7307 Posts

Posted - 03/22/2011 :  6:17:21 PM  Show Profile  Visit JK's Homepage  Reply with Quote

THIS STORY DEMONSTRATES ONE OF THE MOST HORRIFIC EXAMPLES OF PASSING THE BUCK.

Kindergarten student hurt by first-grader on school bus

By Evamarie Socha

Dec 24, 2010
The Daily Item

MIDDLEBURG, PA — A kindergartner was choked so badly by a first-grader that ligature marks were left on his neck, and the next day, three front teeth loosened in the incident had fallen out, his mother says.

Wendy Apple, of Mount Pleasant Mills, says a 6-year-old attacked her son, 5, on a Midd-West school bus on Dec. 2, using the strap of a backpack, and slamming his head repeatedly against a window. Her concerns have been heard by Gregg Wetzel, principal of Perry-West Perry and Middleburg elementary schools, state police at Selinsgrove, Snyder County District Attorney Michael Piecuch and the state Department of Education. ...

Click Here for full story

In the forums

Stop Violence on the school buses!
Stop bullying and other violence - Complete with excellent video! According to the American Public Health Association, the school bus is the second most common place for bullying to occur (the first is on the playground). This Fast Track slide presentation can help stop bullying on the school buses. Includes class handouts. Free to use in self-study, for class training, and for presentation to the school board. Click Here for Link (See Post # 14)

Go to Top of Page
Page: of 5 Previous Topic Topic Next Topic  
Previous Page | Next Page
 New Topic  Reply to Topic
 Printer Friendly
Jump To:
 


School Bus Fleet Magazine Forums © 2022 School Bus Fleet Magazine Go To Top Of Page
This page was generated in 0.45 seconds. Snitz Forums 2000