BBC Reports: American-style yellow school buses takeover from the old school buses. In February 2002 the first American-style yellow school buses went into operation in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England. (Photo �2002 BBC NEWS) (Click Here) for story. American school buses arrive in the UK Jan 2002 (Click Here) for story.

Bullies make my school bus hell

In America, and in other countries, bullies acting out on the school bus can be one of the most obvious indicators that the adults involved and school policies are not doing what they are supposed to be doing to help keep kids safe. In this report Sarah, 14, from Lancashire, England, explains how bullies make her journey to and from school horrible for the rest of the pupils travelling on the school bus.

Original story title, Bullies make my school bus hell, Updated June 21 2002, by The BBC News, published by The BBC, Copyright �2002, All Rights Reserved.

By Sarah, 14, Lancashire, England
England - "My school is two miles from my house so it's a long walk. Lots of parents can't pick kids up from school so the answer is to catch the bus.

School finishes at 3.30 and the bus doesn't arrive until around 4.00!

Bullies

But what I really hate is the bullies. They've scared people off taking the bus.

They sit and throw sandwiches and chewing gum around or tie people up with seatbelts or undo bags, steal books and throw them around the bus.

CHECK THAT BUS! � Find out how to safety check a field trip bus before allowing it to depart with kids on board. Click Here � FREE School Bus Safety Video Click Here � 2SAFESCHOOLS Transportation Policy Recommendation Click Here

It's not funny or clever but nobody dares to do anything about it in such a small place, on the bus there is no way to escape them.

Other kids sit around at the back smoking but the bus drivers ignore them, even though they make the journey difficult or impossible for people allergic to the smoke.

I'd rather walk

School buses should be able to protect the people who catch them, not upset or anger them!

Often it's cold and rainy, but if I walk really fast I can usually beat the bus home.

So until something is done about it I definitely prefer to walk with a few friends, even if it does mean getting wet! " -- Sarah, 14, Lancashire, England

Stop Bullying Now Slide Show | Hassles on the School Bus |
Mom knows the high price of bullying, By Donn Esmonde |
What Should Parents and Teachers Know About Bullying? |
Serious Bullying | Workplace Bullying & Trauma Institute | Other Resources |
Click here to comment on this story and participate in the Bully Survey.
England's British Broadcasting Corporation (The BBC) gives kids a great outlet to discuss their issues. The BBC NEWS CLUB PAGE written by kids, covers kids issues in abundance, from politics to personal issues and reports. Other stories from England: 'Our bus is just like one on American TV'. | I'd take the bus to school if I could | All aboard the yellow bus!.

Featured School Bus Website Students gather to learn steps to school bus safety - VCSC Photos Vigo County School Corporation Terre Haute, Indiana: Terre Haute is Indiana's ninth largest city (pop: 61,125) and is the county seat. Located west of Martinsville along Interstate 70, on the banks of the Wabash River, the city is the birthplace of composer Paul Dresser, best known for composing the state song, "On the Banks of the Wabash." This city is also the birthplace of the 'Coca-Cola' bottle. Terre Haute is home to Indiana State University and other colleges. The Vigo County School Corporation consists of five high schools (including two alternative schools), 6 middle schools and 18 elementary schools. 196 VCSC owned buses transport 12,627 public school pupils daily to and from school at an annual cost of $288.19 per student. Transportation Management and school staff believe that every discipline problem on the school bus is an unsafe road hazard and must be dealt with quickly and coopertively. Excellent behavior from children riding the buses is expected at all times and they must respectfully cooperate with the bus driver's directions. Considerable effort is made to teach children how to behave while waiting at their bus stops, when crossing the road and while riding the bus. Student misbehavior is managed at the elementary level by the bus drivers. The drivers call a parent or guardian the first time they have a behavior concern, with an explanation given of the offense, asking for assistance, and explaining the consequences if the behavior should continue. The child can then be removed from the bus for one day and a written report is provided to the parents, the principal and transportation office. Continued misbehavior on the bus can result in removing the child from the bus an additional one to ten days or longer in rare cases. Beverly Noblitt, Supervisor of Transportation Operations, believes the building principals are very cooperative because of the assistance with behavioral expectations for the safety of all. "Our bus drivers are very appreciative of our support in helping keep control of the bus behavior and assisting in maintaining a safe environment for the children," Norblitt said. VCSC Transportation Website | Board Policies | School bus safety area | More Info| More Websites/Comments

Yellow Tin Can Free Template Letter promotes bus stop safety and bus driver's authority: This free parents letter template in PDF format informs parents what behavior is expected at bus stops while waiting, boarding and after departing the bus. Behavior of students on the bus at bus stops is mentioned. The letter is from "the bus driver" to help promote the bus driver's authority on the bus. For best reading save file to disk, then reopen and read from your hard drive. Click here for free template.	Petition Drive 'on Fire' An on-line petition now has more than 1,300,000 names and growing. Click Here to visit the website Free Booklet James Kraemer, author of the pending book, "Dangerous school buses," has put together excerpts into a free booklet (PDF format) titled, "Death at the school bus stop." Click Here to download your free copy, courtesy First Coast Community.
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