CLEVELAND, Ohio — A new course from the School Bus Safety Co. trains drivers on the timely topic of bullying.

The program, Bullying Prevention on the School Bus, is a professionally developed curriculum created specifically to address the challenges that school bus drivers face.

“Bullying is a huge problem among today’s youth, and it often leads to tragic circumstances,” said Jeff Cassell, president of the School Bus Safety Co.

The course is built on a blended approach to adult learning and features three DVDs, a trainer’s guide and a driver’s job aid, which summarizes the key issues a driver needs to know. The topics covered are how to recognize bullying, what to do about it and how to handle bullying situations.

The DVDs depict several real-life bullying situations and explain the difference between bullying and simple conflict. School bus drivers learn how to enlist the help of everyone on the bus to make it safer and bully-free.

The course details, step-by-step, how the driver can prevent bullying and how to persuade kids to report it.

“The driver’s main job is to safely transport the students, but with a little extra effort, they can also reduce the pain and suffering of kids who would otherwise be bullied,” Cassell said.

This is the School Bus Safety Co.’s third module, following the Driver Training Course and Transporting Students with Special Needs.

Bullying Prevention on the School Bus is $950. For more information, go to www.schoolbussafetyco.com or contact Janet Greer or Kelly Turner at (866) 275-7272.