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Principals,
superintendents,
school business
officials, &
school board
members
The bus ride plays a
sometimes under-appreciated role in the level of
children’s educational achievement within any
community.
An
asset
A well-run
transportation system is an enormous asset to a
school district. Not only does it provide a high
level of physical safety for students, the school
bus has become an essential means of helping
disadvantaged children get an education. For
children with special physical, mental, and
emotional needs, and children living in unstable
family situations, the stability and security
provided by the daily bus ride can make all the
difference in ensuring regular attendance.
Conversely,
significant problems in a pupil transportation
system can have a negative impact on every part of
the school day:
1.
When serious student behavior problems persist on
buses, building principals are plagued by discipline
reports and parent complaints.
2.
Children who must endure harassment and intimidation
on their bus rides are seldom “ready to learn” when
they arrive at school. Unaddressed bullying on the
bus or at the bus stop not only hurts children and
increases the risk of an incident of violent
retaliation, it can expose a school district to
significant liability.
3.
It doesn’t take new school officials long to realize
that even “minor” bus accidents and incidents can
have major financial and public relations
ramifications for the district.
4.
High driver turnover can have a devastating impact
on both the efficiency of the transportation system
and the quality of service provided to children and
building principals.
5.
Poor morale in the transportation department can
become a nightmare for school administrators, and
ultimately can undermine student safety. Bus drivers
who perceive a lack of support for the problems
they’re encountering with students sometimes fall
back on old-fashioned “creative” methods of
discipline that are counter-productive in today’s
society.
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