David Esquith Director, Office of Safe and Healthy Students U.S. Department of Education Addressing Bullying on the Nation’s School Buses Southeastern State Pupil Transportation Conference July 8-11, 2012 Biloxi, MS

What’s the goal at ED? President Obama: “Produce a higher percentage of college graduates than any other country in the world by the end of the next decade.”

Where does the Office of Safe & Healthy Students fit in? It’s simple. Students can’t learn if they don’t feel safe. Period.

What is Bullying?  Although definitions of bullying vary, most agree that bullying involves: Imbalance of Power: people who bully use their power to control or harm and the people being bullied may have a hard time defending themselves Intent to Cause Harm: actions done by accident are not bullying; the person bullying has a goal to cause harm Repetition: incidents of bullying happen to the same the person over and over by the same person or group

The Many Forms of Bullying Examples of bullying: Verbal: name-calling, teasing Social: spreading rumors, leaving people out on purpose, breaking up friendships Physical: hitting, punching, shoving Cyberbullying: using the Internet, mobile phones or other digital technologies to harm others

National Center For Education Statistics, 2011

Rivers, I., Poteat, V.P., Noret, N., Ashurt, N. (2009). Observing Bullying at School: The Mental Health Implication of Witness Status. School Psychology Quarterly. 24:4,

Petrosino, A., Guckenburg, S., DeVoe, J. and Hanson, T. (2010). What characteristics of bullying, bullying victims, and schools are associated with increased reporting of bullying to school officials? (Issues & Answers Report, REL No.092). Washington, DC: US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Education Laboratory Northeast and Islands. Retrieved from

What’s the potential impact of bullying

Things to remember There’s a difference between causation and correlation Most research demonstrates that bullying is a risk factor for many outcomes but is not the only “cause” Not all who experience or engage in bullying will have these outcomes Not everyone who has these outcomes was bullied

Children Who Are Bullied Have higher risk of depression and anxiety, including the following symptoms, that may persist into adulthood: Increased feelings of sadness and loneliness Changes in sleep and eating patterns Loss of interest in activities Have increased thoughts about suicide that may persist into adulthood. Are more likely to have health complaints. Have decreased academic achievement (GPA and standardized test scores) and school participation. Are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school. Are more likely to retaliate through extremely violent measures.

Children Who Bully Have a higher risk of abusing alcohol and other drugs in adolescence and as adults. Are more likely to get into fights, vandalize property, and drop out of school. Are more likely to engage in early sexual activity. Are more likely to have criminal convictions and traffic citations as adults. Are more likely to be abusive toward their romantic partners, spouses or children as adults.

Children Who Witness Bullying Have increased use of tobacco, alcohol or other drugs. Have increased mental health problems, including depression and anxiety. Are more likely to miss or skip school.

Bullying and the School Bus

How do students get to and from school? Source: National Crime Victimization Survey, School Crime Supplement 2007

For those who are bullied, where does bullying occur? Source: National Crime Victimization Survey, School Crime Supplement 2007 Percent of bullied youth who report currently taking bus to or from school

Are those who take the bus more at risk for being bullied?

Source: Bradshaw and Waasdorp, “Bus Drivers’ Perceptions of and Experience with Bullying,” Bus drivers are more likely to think bullying is a problem

Bus drivers tend to see more bullying Source: Bradshaw and Waasdorp, “Bus Drivers’ Perceptions of and Experience with Bullying,” 2010.

Bus drivers are not being involved appropriately in implementing anti-bullying efforts Bradshaw, C., Waasdorp, T. (27 Oct 2010). Bus Drivers’ Perspectives of and Experience with Bullying: A Brief Report Based on the National Education Associations Bullying Survey. John Hopkins University.

Bus drivers believe it is their job to intervene when they see bullying Bradshaw, C., Waasdorp, T. (27 Oct 2010). Bus Drivers’ Perspectives of and Experience with Bullying: A Brief Report Based on the National Education Associations Bullying Survey. John Hopkins University.

Bus drivers want additional training in intervening with bullying Bradshaw, C., Waasdorp, T. (27 Oct 2010). Bus Drivers’ Perspectives of and Experience with Bullying: A Brief Report Based on the National Education Associations Bullying Survey. John Hopkins University.

Bus drivers want additional training in intervening in bullying situations involving special populations Bradshaw, C., Waasdorp, T. (27 Oct 2010). Bus Drivers’ Perspectives of and Experience with Bullying: A Brief Report Based on the National Education Associations Bullying Survey. John Hopkins University.

What’s the role of the Department of Education?

Training modules for bus drivers:

Module Goals  Address bullying behavior on America’s school buses  Provide state-of-the-art information on how to build a supportive bus climate  Sharpen driver skills in intervening in bullying behavior and de-escalating threatening behavior  Enhance driver’s existing skills in building a supportive bus climate  Provide a world-class, interactive curriculum to achieve all of the above

A sample of the module: good advice?  One way to get the attention of students on the bus and their willingness to address bullying among their peers is to write up the whole bus when serious bullying occurs. FALSE

Good advice?  A high-quality report or referral includes details about what you, as the bus driver, said and did in response to student bullying behavior. TRUE

Good advice?  When writing a good report or referral, it is important to include your own personal perspective about the student’s motivation or comparisons to his or her siblings. FALSE

Other Guidance and Tools  Launch of  October 26, 2010 “Dear Colleague” regarding Bullying and Harassment  December 16, 2010 Key Components of Anti- Bullying Policies Memo  Ongoing research and work to:  Create a uniform definition of bullying  Understand the impact of anti-bullying policies

State Anti-Bullying Laws and Policies

Thanks 