The second module of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools' (OSDFS) bullying prevention/intervention training program is now available.

The program was created jointly by the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT), the Department of Education's OSDFS and the Safe and Supportive Schools Technical Assistance Center. It is available free of charge to school districts across the country. The second module, called "Creating a Safe and Respectful Environment on Our Nation's Buses," focuses on building mutual respect on the school bus.

The training will encourage drivers to consider what a supportive bus climate looks like and how it prevents bullying. They will also learn and commit to perform simple, concrete strategies to build positive relationships on the school bus.

As SBF previously reported, the first module of the training program — "See Something. Do Something: Intervening in Bullying Behavior" — teaches drivers what does and does not constitute bullying, how to respond to the behavior on or around the bus, and specific strategies for addressing and reporting bullying as it occurs.

Both modules include a step-by-step trainer's guide, a PowerPoint presentation, handouts for driver activities, palm cards for drivers and posters that can be displayed in a school district's transportation department or throughout the school system to reinforce the messages.

Both modules can be downloaded at the NAPT's website.