Guest Post by Joe Mazza
#PTchat 6/27/12 – Will the Karen Klein Bus Ride Fuel the Changes Needed on Today’s School Buses
A few days ago, the world didn’t know much about who Karen Klein was. As I draft his post, the horrific video embedded below has almost a million views. The vulgar, disrespectful and inhumane behavior on display by several student bus riders in the Greece Central School District in NY raises more than a few questions that need to be flushed out by parents and educators to promote solutions for all school bus riders. One of my first thoughts was, “I wonder how bad the kids at school get it if that’s how they treat an adult.” During this week’s parent-teacher chat (#ptchat on Twitter), we’ll discuss the following questions and others:
- What kind of behavior is expected of students on the bus (and at bus stop) toward other students and adults? Do we have the right measures in place to meet these expectations?
- What training should be in place for both students and staff who ride/drive school buses?
- How can schools, the transportation department and famlies work together to keep students and staff safe on a daily basis? Where do we fall short?
I’ve asked #ptchat’s bus expert and past guest, Jim Dillon former principal and author of Hazeldon’s Peaceful Bus Program to join us for this conversation. The program he designed (we implement in NPSD) supports the four rules of bullying see in the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. Please join us on Wednesday, June 27th at 9PM EDT for this important conversation as we commit to making school buses and neighborhood bus stops a safer place for all.