School Bus Bullies

Today he was knocked down, subtly tripped as he made his way down the aisle to the first free seat. Yesterday, as he sat down, the students in the seats behind him whispered terrible things. For weeks, the bus ride has been tortuous - slowly the bullies have worn him down. Tomorrow - he has resolved - he won't go.

According to the National Association of School Psychologists, about 160,000 children in the United States miss school every day for fear of being bullied. In Canada, Toronto's Board of Education has documented that in Grades 4 to 8, one child in five is victimized periodically, while one in 12 is bullied weekly or daily. Many people, not in the industry, are unaware that bullying often begins on the bus ride to and from school. Experts say that school buses generate a great opportunity for bullies.

"Worst of all, the targets have no escape," says Barbara Coloroso, author of The Bully, The Bullied, and The Bystander: Breaking the Cycle of Violence, in an April 2005 edition of The Christian Science Monitor. "The bus is only one venue where young victims of bullies may be trapped. The key is, there is no adult supervision. Bullies can be everywhere - on the playground, in locker rooms, in the hallways and cafeteria."

Universal issue
A 2006 nationally representative study of 15,686 students in Grades 6 through 10, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Vol. 285, No. 16) is among the most recent to document the scope of bullying in U.S. schools. It found:

• Bullying occurs most frequently from sixth to eighth grade, with little variation between urban, suburban, town and rural areas.
• Bullies and victims of bullying have difficulty adjusting to their environments, both socially and psychologically. Victims of bullying have greater difficulty making friends and are lonelier.

Such bullying has serious consequences. Research from the Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education on 37 school shootings, including Columbine, found that almost three-quarters of student shooters felt bullied, threatened, attacked or injured by others. In fact, several shooters reported experiencing long-term and severe bullying and harassment from their peers, says the journal Monitor by the American Psychology Association.

Bullying can take many forms. A recent Connecticut statute depicts school-related bullying as "any overt acts by a student or a group of students directed against another student with the intent to ridicule, humiliate or intimidate the other student while on school grounds or at a school-sponsored activity, which acts are repeated against the same student over time."

Students often think bullying is worse on school buses. An organization called BJC School Outreach has developed a survey to help determine where students encounter bullying most often. The results rank buses as the No. 2 place for bullying, second only to the playground. The bus is noted by nearly 25 per cent as the place for serious incidents of bullying.

An elementary school class in Vermont created a study in 2001 to understand just this phenomenon. The class found that students who bully felt they were more anonymous on a bus and, therefore, could get away with more questionable behavior.

Back in Connecticut, the state has recognized how school buses contribute to school bullying. The statute broadens the definition of bullying to include incidents on a school bus. This new bill revises that statute by adding the phrase "or on a school bus" to the list of locations as well as including the word "harass" in the list of intentions. The legislation, which took effect in 2006, also increases school obligations to inform students how to report bullying, as well as interventions, and both counseling and discipline would be required for recurring incidents.

Long-term consequences

It is often believed that bullying is a natural part of school life along with the assumption of minimal long-term effects on a child. Victims have spoken out to other students complaining about bullies' verbal and physical abuse. This includes pushing kids down, stealing their hats and books and throwing them around the bus, as well as name-calling and verbal put-downs.

Today, there is greater understanding of the long-term effects of bullying. Numerous studies have been conducted on bullies, victims and average kids. Bullying can jeopardize children's education while shattering their self-confidence. This often leaves children feeling alone, traumatized, worthless, and too frightened to go to school. The medical journal Pediatrics has reported that children involved with bullying - as a victim or bully - have poorer mental health. Victims, according to Pediatrics, have a sharp increase in depression and suicidal thoughts. A high risk of suicidal ideation (having thoughts of suicide) is found among children who are bullied, who bully others, and who are involved in both roles (Kaltiala-Heinoet al., 1999).

To escape from the torment of bullying, some victims go through drastic lengths, which can have long-term effects on their self-esteem, mental health and, of course, education. While there have been no significant studies to date on the impact of childhood bullying on adults, research suggests that systematic bullying can leave deep psychological scars which can lead to depressive attitudes and a tendency toward negative self-image, even years after the bullying has ended.

Children who are bullies during their school years are at a much higher risk of later becoming involved in crime and misusing alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs. For example, 60 per cent of boys who bully others in elementary school had criminal records by age 24 (Olweus, 1991).

Numerous studies have researched what leads offenders to bully. Often those factors are beyond the control of school district officials. But there are ways everyone can take responsibility and take a stand against bullying.

Helping solve the problem

Students have a right to ride with out fear of bullies.

Children can participate in building and executing anti-bullying strategies by putting strict measures into place. Teachers can be trained to incorporate children's involvement in all areas of the school and monitoring their accomplishment annually.

Emphasis can be placed on friendship networks to create peer support programs, as this would be effective in creating moral support. Teachers can also address the actuality of children's experience in anti-bullying strategies, be more aware of the importance of support from peers and provide children with the necessary emotional and social skills to help them battle problems like bullying.

Moreover, schools, communities and families can create an environment where bullying is never tolerated. Video surveillance can be an important tool in the building of such an environment. And Seon Design can help.

Seon's Mobile Surveillance Systems protect both students and bus drivers, whether it's the bully or the victim. Students are informed and reminded often by the bus driver and the school district staff, that the cameras are recording.

However, the nature as to how the bus driver handles the students and the bullying situation is very important to every party involved. Surveillance systems empower drivers to make decisions based on what is best for the entire bus. They know that if it is safer to keep the bus moving - high traffic, severe weather - the incident is securely documented. The driver can direct his or her attention to do dealing with the situation when it is safe for everyone in the bus. Often that means passing discipline duties to school administrators and parents.

It has been testified that most students behaving badly usually end up finding out the hard way. It is greatly encouraged when a discipline form is sent home, that parents should come to the school and view the tape.

Protecting the often powerless

It has been stated by having the presence of Seon's Mobile Surveillance Systems on the bus, that serious disciplinary issues have decreased considerably. Seon Mobile Surveillance Systems protect the interest of everyone affected by bullying. Victimized students can conquer their fear of incidents on the school bus, bullies can get caught and disciplined for their acts, bus drivers can concentrate on the road and increase safety, school districts and parents are at ease knowing every detail of the bus ride is in the eye of the camera.

While there is no question that bullies adversely affect their victims, which has real, long-term consequences for the target, however, the risk to the entire bus needs to be considered. A bus driver already has a stressful job. Most drivers are more than chauffeurs. They are guardians, sometimes "psychologists", cleaners and cheerleaders. They monitor the students, they watch the road, they watch other vehicles. They drive in snow and ice. They work on gravel roads, twisting highways and through mountain passes. They are charged with safely negotiating 40+ children through daily rush hour. Drivers have a full plate. If a bullying-incident or other disruption distracts a driver from his or her main job of driving, every individual on the bus is at risk. Cameras are one more tool to keep students on track and behaving as they should.

Not all incidents of bullying are dramatic and distracting. Some are subtler - perhaps harassing comments, threatening gestures, teasing, etc. Drivers or teachers might not be aware of the situation. Persistent victims may even fail to defend themselves, choosing to withdraw as a self-preservation technique. A video surveillance system, such as Seon's, can be an invaluable witness. Once students have the courage to come forward and report the bullying, they immediately have an ally in their fight - a video recording of their often daily struggle.

As part of larger anti-bullying programs, other students can pipe up about bullying they've witnessed. If students speak with administrators or teachers, they don't have to worry about getting involved - and potentially creating a situation where they could be the next victim - the bus' recorder will explain the situation enabling the whistleblower to remain anonymous in any disciplinary situations.

Children have a right to go to school unafraid - to enjoy the experience without looking over the shoulder. From the moment they step on a school bus until the moment they step off at the end of the day, they have a right to be protected and watched over with highest level of care and concern possible. A Seon Mobile Surveillance System - when paired with active administrators, caring drivers, and teachers and involved parents - can offer a solution: a ride where the biggest problem is homework, instead of getting home safe.

Sources:
Pediatrics - The Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, http://pediatrics.aappublications.org
National Association of School Psychologists, Pollack, 1998

Toronto report Pepler, Craig, Ziegler & Charach, 1994
The Bully Bus Project
http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/PDF_files/14_2nl_3.pdf