GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — When he was a child, Thomas Brown was so badly bullied by classmates that he considered injuring himself so he could go to the hospital instead of school.

Had Brown been spared the years of torment throughout his youth, the Ohio filmmaker probably would not have made Tears on the Highway, an emotionally charged film about bullying on the school bus.

Brown presented the film to members of the National Association for Pupil Transportation and the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services at their conferences in Grand Rapids.

Ohio pupil transportation director Pete Japikse, who gave Brown input on the project, described the polarizing effect of the film as he introduced it. “Some of you will like it, and some of you will hate it,” Japikse said. Still, he said that it was something that demanded to be watched and reacted to.

The content and tone of the film are certainly troubling. A downtrodden boy recounts a tragedy of his own making: In an unruly school bus, he led other passengers in picking on another boy who was trying to mind his own business, ultimately pushing down the innocent boy and giving him a bloody nose. The bus driver, distracted by the violence, crashed the bus.

Brown has been showing Tears on the Highway to students in Ohio, and he said that his own experience with bullying has helped him in connecting with children.

Japikse said that he is working to have the film shown to all school bus drivers in the state as part of their training.

For more information on the film, e-mail Brown at brokentoyproject@columbus.rr.com.

In another NAPT session, Lynne Lang gave a presentation called “No More Bullies on Board.” The youth development expert taught attendees how to reduce and prevent bullying on the bus by developing discipline policies that address behavior issues before they become problematic.