School Bus Discipline:Driving for a Change in

Bus Behavior

Action Research Project

Sheena Van MeterAssistant Principal, Moorefield Elementary School

Hardy County

471 Students

Preschool – 2nd Grade

64.97% Free/Reduced Lunch

11.25% Minority

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The Problem

• Currently, there is only a Bus Code of Conduct and no Bus Discipline Policy in Hardy County.

• The Bus Code of Conduct is not sent home with students annually. Parents may obtain a copy of the Bus Code of Conduct upon request to the Board of Education Office.

• There are inconsistencies in how the School Bus Operators manage bus behaviors and disciplinary action determined by the principals.

• There is a lack of communication with parents, therefore expectations of student behavior is not clearly defined.

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Baseline Data

Data

And the Survey Says…

• 23 out of 28 School Bus Operators surveyed state that they feel they do not have the backing and support of the county school administration regarding student discipline.

Projected Implications of this Research Project

• The number of Discipline Referrals for disruptive behaviors on the school bus will decrease by 10% the first month a

bus behavior program is in place, and an additional 5% for 3 months thereafter.

Current Research

• Teaching Interrupted: Do Discipline Policies in Today's Public Schools Foster the Common Good? A Report by Public Agenda, New York, NY, 2004. (As summarized in Effective Schools Research Abstracts Volume 19, Issue 6)

• PARENT ACCOUNTABILITY IS KEY

• Boynton, Mark and Christine Boynton, The Educator's Guide to Preventing and Solving Discipline Problems. ASCD, Alexandria, VA, 2005. (As summarized in Effective Schools Research Abstracts Volume 20, Issue 6)

• EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE REQUIRES CONSISTENCY

Continued Research

• Michelle Layer Rahal, "Bullying Prevention." Educational Research Service, Alexandria, VA, 2010 (www.ers.org): 1-20. (As summarized in Effective Schools Research Abstracts Volume 24, Issue 7)

• BULLIES ON THE BUS WITHOUT DIRECT ADULT SUPERVISION

Action Plan Proposal

Date Action Plan Initiative

Individuals Responsible

Data Collection Source

January – March 2012 Development of Policy Team – (County Transportation Director, County Behavior Specialist, 6 Bus Operators, 6 administrators)

Meetings (face to face)Bus Operator Surveys

April – July 2012 Present to BOE for approval and readings. Accepted as Policy.

Team County Feedback

August 2012 Staff Development for Drivers, Develop Bus Education Program, Develop Bus Education Program Review Schedule. Bus Policy goes home for parents to review and sign.

Team Parents’ signed and returned portion of the New Policy.

September 2012 Meet with principals to ensure implementation and address concerns. Collect Referrals.

Team # of Bus Discipline Referrals

October-December 2012January – May 2013

Continue to collect referrals and analyze data.

Team # of Bus Discipline Referrals

June , 2013 Examine the number of Bus Discipline Referrals since implementation of new policy and determine if there has been a decrease since implementation of new policy.

Team # of Bus Discipline Referrals, administrator interviews, bus operator surveys, overall decrease/increase percentage.

The Plan…

Population: All Hardy County Students (grades pre-K – 12) who utilize school bus transportation.

Team Members: Hardy County Transportation Director, Hardy County Behavior Specialist, an administrator from each of the six schools in the county, and six bus operators (three from each side of the county).

The Plan Continued…

• Procedure:

1 – Develop Policy based upon current county data and driver, administrator, and Superintendent feedback.

2 – Policy Reading and approval.

3 – Send home with students and obtain parent signature.

4 – Implement the bus education program in the classrooms.

5 – Analyze Data from August through May to determine if

the policy has made a positive impact.

Materials

• Copies of the new Bus Discipline Policy to distribute to parents of Hardy County school Students (including level I, II, and III behaviors and disciplinary actions)

• Bus Education Program to support the new Bus Discipline Policy through instructional strategies taught in the classroom.

Data

• Bus Discipline Referral• Bus Operator feedback collected via

monthly surveys• Parent feedback collected via monthly

surveys

Anticipated Impact on Instructional Leadership

• I believe that through this project I will learn to lead a team through collaboration, research, and data collection in order to modify county policies to best meet the needs of all individuals involved. My goal is to build upon my leadership abilities by working with a variety of individuals within the school system. By developing a relationship with service personnel in the county school system I am recognizing the valuable role they play in the education of our students.

QUESTIONS?