The purpose of this module is to develop an understanding of the definitions and research related to bullying, as well as the programs designed to mitigate it. Learners will develop a working knowledge of how occupational therapy can support Tier 1 bullying interventions.
Retrieved from: TOT 1: Bullying and Tier 1 (2019)
Bullying is one of the most significant and widespread school problems related to violence and feeling safe at school. Approximately one in three students, aged 12–18 years, report being bullied and the number increases exponentially for those students with special needs. One estimate suggested that 63% of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience being bullied in elementary and/or middle school (Leigh, 2013). To combat the bullying crisis in schools, most schools have adopted programs to prevent and/or reduce bullying and create emotionally and physically safe places which are essential for learning (Espelage & Swearer, 2003; National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention, 2009). Additionally, many states have adopted anti-bullying laws.
What’s the anti-bullying status is your state? Check out http://bullypolice.org ? (if the link does not work, please cut and paste link in browser). If you’re so inclined to check out the anti-bullying policies for the state of Illinois, you might find this link useful: https://www.stopbullying.gov/laws/key-components/index.html
Retrieved from: TOT 1: Bullying and Tier 1 (2019)
What do you think? Why does it matter how we define it? What would your concerns be if bullying wasn’t clearly differentiated from teasing or taunting? Do you think bullying is on the rise or are we just hearing more about it? Please place your responses in the Discussion Board post titled Bullying.
Bullying comes in all forms and I think defining bullying is super important for our culture, society, and schools to understand. It is hard to educate kids when something is not defined. It becomes a joke to the students and kids take advantage and find loop holes to get around major issues within the schools. I think the idea that bullying needs to be defined is so critical to teach others. In the past, bullying has been so poorly defined and poorly monitored making it more confusing and harder to punish the bullies and help them to change. As times are changing and our society and communities change, bullying has continued to change as well. I do not think bullying is on the rise, because there has always been bullying. Movies and television shows portray it, but they typically make light of the situation and there is almost always a happy ending or a form of retaliation in the end and then everyone gets along. In reality, bullying can seriously affect a person’s self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-worth. I think in today’s society, American’s have become more aware of the harmful effects of bullying has on a person due to the increased education on the topic, as well as the more modern social media outlets that share stories of bullying. I also think bulling has become more apparent in society because of the new-found cyberbullying that is occurring. With more education and more understanding of why kids bully and how kids bully can only make our society, communities, and schools stronger. There have been many cases of suicide in young school-aged children (specifically high school) because of the continuous abuse over the internet and text messages. I think that this topic is a major issue and I am so glad that it is being taken seriously. Bullying gaining a definition is best for all because allowing it to remain without a definition only makes it easier to find those loop holes and take advantage of the word.
Today, kids face a completely different type of bullying in my opinion than generations before. With the advancements in technology, kids are facing a new form of bullying known as cyberbullying. This type of harassment comes from peers and classmates over the internet or through social media platforms. Cyberbullying, although not harmful to the direct body of the person, does affects a student’s mental functioning and the way their view themselves or the way other view them. Students who are bullied online cannot seem to escape the torment. As technology and society changes with the advancement in technology, children have started changing the way they communicate through these medias. For example, as a child, I was so excited to get a cell phone in high school. I could send or receive 500 text messages per month. Although I had access to this technology, my cell phone could not access Facebook or myspace. I could make calls, take flip phone pictures, and text my friends until my plan ran out. Today, however, kids are getting cell phones at younger and younger ages. Kids as young as second grade are taking their iPhone or iTouch’s to school where they have access to the internet, cameras, and social media. The schools are giving the kids iPads for learning, but not realizing the negative effects of hanging a kid an iPad in school. I think kids are at a disadvantage because they are consistently targeted by their peers through Facebook, Instagram, snapchat, texting, calling, and many more platforms. These children cannot get away from their peers or the humiliation that can be caused over the internet. It is commonly known that humans find hiding behind a screen can make saying mean things easier to do. When I was younger, once school was over, I went home and did not see or hear from another kid until the following morning. I got a break from my peers, my friends, and my classmates. I see it when I am out at the mall or on an airplane or at the grocery store where kids are constantly on their phones sending messages over social media outside of school hours. With new education and more awareness about bullying, it makes it easier for parents, teachers, and other adults to stop the bullying in the schools, on the playgrounds, and in their own lives. The more we know, the more we can help notice what the signs and symptoms are and hopefully talk to our children more openly and freely about it. By starting the conversation, hopefully we can end (ar at least minimize) bullying throughout the schools.
The term bullying is defined in 3 main parts:
(1) intentional, malicious form of victimization,
(2) involving an imbalance, real or perceived, of social, physical, and/or emotional power, and
(3) involving intentional and repeated acts of harm
Bullying behaviors may be persistently directed at the target student or student group based on actual or perceived factors related to race, color, weight, national origin, ethnicity, religious affiliation, disability status, sexual orientation, gender, physical appearance, sex, or other distinguishing characteristic (Lazarus, 2011). It is important to note that bullying behavior is not limited to children and adolescents and can occur among the adults in the children’s lives.
Retrieved from: TOT 1: Bullying and Tier 1 (2019)
Bullying can take several forms. Some of the most common include:
Verbal
Physical
Relational/Social
Electronic
The Center for the Study and Prevention of School Violence provided a different typology including:
Direct bullying which includes physical and verbal acts of aggression. This type of bullying tends to be more associated with boys.
Indirect bullying which is characterized by social and relational aggression (spreading rumors, exclusion as a means to humiliate). This type of bullying is more likely for girls to engage in.
Cyberbullying. Technology is not only changing the way children bully but making it possible to bully someone 24 hours a day.
Retrieved from: TOT 1: Bullying and Tier 1 (2019)
Students may participate in bullying relationships via several different roles. There are significant mental health concerns associated with each role.
Bullies: children who exhibit bullying behaviors
Targets: children who are the victims of bullying behaviors
Bully-victims: bullies who also gets bullied by others
Bystanders: children who observe bullying; very often they are unsure of what to do
Upstanders: children who stop the problem according to TogetherAgainstBullying.org.
Research shows that others speaking out or taking action stops bullying behavior over half the time within seconds!
Helping Bystanders become Upstanders: A quick video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeqQCyQOCPg&list=PLvzOwE5lWqhScOdC3xMzs9FoAAfpxA-Tz&index=2
Researchers have identified many mental health and academic concerns associated with bullying for bullies, victims, and bystanders. Huddleston (2013) noted the following concerns: loss of instructional time, poor or diminished grades, and truancy. Additionally, a relationship was noted between bullying behavior and internalizing problems—depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, fearfulness, difficulty concentrating, headaches/stomachaches and sleep issues not due to a medical condition. Bullies, not surprisingly, have also been found to have more conduct problems, academic disengagement, and less favorable views of school than non-bullying peers (Donnon, 2014). Recent news of children and young adults committing suicide because of being bullied has created national campaigns and attention (AOTA, 2011).
Common Myths about Bullying
Myth 1: Most bullies are loners and have poor social skills
Myth 2: Bullies tend to have low self-esteem
Myth 3: Students learn to deal with bullies on their own
Myth 4: Counseling the bully and the target together will resolve the problem…….DON’T DO THIS!!! It can actually be re-victimizing.
Retrieved from: TOT 1: Bullying and Tier 1 (2019)
Currently, there are no federal statutes that explicitly prohibit student bullying or cyber-bullying. Under some circumstances, however, bullying in schools may be prohibited by certain federal civil rights laws. In contrast, all 50 states (the last being Montana in April 2015) have laws that explicitly prohibit bullying. However, these laws have been criticized by many as just “feel-good” legislation. A statement by the National Safety and Security Services noted that anti-bullying legislation that is typically an unfunded mandate. Instead, they advocated that schools need to be supported with resources to actually make positive and prosocial changes to improve the school climate and safety. The impact of these laws on preventing or reducing bullying behavior is yet to be determined.
Retrieved from: TOT 1: Bullying and Tier 1 (2019)
The key to anti-bullying efforts is to start early—as early as preschool (NASP, 2012). Kids who are equipped at an early age with the social and emotional skills are less likely to engage in bullying behaviors and can more easily develop health social relationships. Research suggests that bullying programs are much more effective in younger (elementary) years (Betts, 2013).
Meta-analyses of anti-bullying interventions suggest that school practitioners have not yet reached a consensus on the best approach (Renshaw & Jimerson, 2012). Nevertheless, the National Association of School Psychologists 2013 White Paper offers the following 7 considerations for school-wide anti-bullying programs:
A starting point is developing comprehensive anti-bullying policies. They should make it clear that bullying is not tolerated, delineate consequences for bullying, and reinforce that adults will intervene to maintain a safe school environment for all students.
Understand the connection between bullying and mental health problems for victims and bullies
Keep up with technology and cyberbulling
Pay attention to LGBTQ students and students with special needs
Use a comprehensive approach that also supports positive mental health promotion, prosocial behaviors throughout the school, tolerance and respect for diversity
Focus on the role of the witness and support them in feeling able to effectively respond to bullying
Staff have to be clear and consistent in delivering the message that they are always willing to talk about bullying, take it seriously, and will assertively intervene.
An article describing the outcomes of a brief (as short as a 1 week intervention and up to a full 8 weeks) school-wide, Tier 1 bullying program, Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R), is provided for additional reading. You can access this additional reading in the Reading and Resources folder.
Although it is not officially a product of Dr. Sue Bazyk’s Every Moment Counts program, she has mentioned many successes in promoting a prosocial school climate and preventing bullying by making and using Buddy Benches.
Watch this video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3RlHIo7-D8
Retrieved from: TOT 1: Bullying and Tier 1 (2019)
Victims of bullying may use many different protective factors to ameliorate the effects of victimization. Some common strategies include trying to distance themselves from peers who bully them (Wessler, 2003), use peer friendships as a buffer (Bowes et al., 2010), and rely on their own ability and resilience to overcome the effects of victimization (Betts, 2012). Resilience, as defined by Betts (2012), is a dynamic process that pertains to the ability to positively adapt even in the face of significant adversity. Resilience implies that one is both exposed to a significant threat or serious adversity (i.e. bullying for example) and adapts positively despite the threat/adversity. Other authors have defined resilience as the ability to respond flexibly and resourcefully to unfortunate circumstances and life situations (Luther, 1999). Interventions that focus on enhancing resilience have been identified as one way to reduce the effects of victimization. As Gray, Carter, & Gass (2010) noted, not every child who engages in bullying or who is bullied experiences psychosocial adjustment difficulties—in fact, some are rather resilient to the effects. These researchers also found that their school-based intervention designed to increase or promote resilience led to higher levels of self-efficacy among children who were experiencing bullying and those exhibiting bullying behaviors. In short, resilience appeared to act as a protective factor against the negative effects of bullying behaviors.
As OT practitioners, we think about self-efficacy as a critical person factor. Conceptually, resilience may be distinguished from self-efficacy in so much as self-efficacy may be present in the absence of a significant threat or adversity. Resilience, on the other hand, depends on the presence of an adverse life situation. As such, self-efficacy has been identified as one of the components of resilience and post-traumatic growth and success (Betts, 2012). Coping appears to be the other (Betts, 2012).
What are the ways that OT practitioners use occupation to increase self-efficacy? How might be able to use occupation to increase the self-efficacy of both students who are bullied and students who bully others? There is clearly a role for us here!
Retrieved from: TOT 1: Bullying and Tier 1 (2019)
It is important to remember that children and adolescents who bully others are likely engaging in bullying as a means of coping with certain personal stressors. It is often the case that these children may be experiencing bullying in other settings.
During an interview about bullying, a leading bullying scholar, Dr. Philip Lazarus had the following to say when asked, “What seems to work best with the bullies? Or what doesn’t work?”:
Dr. Lazarus’ Response:
One of the things that I have found is that being aggressive with bullies doesn’t seem to be helpful. Using assertive techniques rather than aggression is recommended.
What seems to work with bullies is being confronted by a group of peers that support the target (victim) and will not tolerate bullying. If bullies are actually confronted by witnesses who say “This is not okay, this is not acceptable, we will not allow this in our school,” often the bullies will say “Okay, and will actually stop. Most instances this doesn’t’ happen, but if they are confronted they may stop.
Another strategy that seems to work for bullies is that they need to be taught specific skills and correct their errors in thinking about life. What we seem to find is that traditional therapy is not recommended for bullies because just having them talk and express feelings, et cetera, doesn’t seem to be effective. They need to be shown the right way to respond, the right way to act, and you need to take a no-nonsense, no compromise approach. (Are you thinking that occupation might be more effective?)
The other thing that I think is helpful is to use prosocial consequences. Bullies might have to apologize and make the situation right. So if they did something to actually hurt somebody, they need to have a consequence that will mitigate any kind of social or emotional damage that has occurred.
It is best not to have long discussions with bullies, because otherwise you’re going to get into an argument. A brief, clear responses is more effective: “This is unacceptable, this is not okay, and this is your consequence.”
Bullies often have a strong need for power. So you might look in terms of how to take that energy and that need for power and channel it in a prosocial way. (Are you thinking occupation again?) Youngsters that engage in bullying find it very reinforcing, so we need to find other ways to reinforce an individual who is engaging in bullying.
A case study of an intervention with a bully is provided for additional reading. You may find it useful in other TOT courses (specifically as we begin to explore small group and targeted interventions). The article is included in the Readings and Resources folder.
Retrieved from: TOT 1: Bullying and Tier 1 (2019)
As Leigh (2013) dutifully noted, occupational therapy practitioners have a strong background in social participation, occupation-based interventions, and mental health which positions them well to support bullying prevention and school climate improvement or enhancement efforts in schools. In fact, bullying has been identified by AOTA as an emerging niche area.
Unlike some of the other topics we have covered in this first TOT course, AOTA has a wealth of resources available to support OT’s role in being a valued member of anti-bullying initiatives. Please go to AOTA (www.aota.org) (if this link does not work, please cut and paste it into your browser) and select the “Practice” heading tab. Then select “Children & Youth” subtab followed by the “Mental Health” subtab. You should then be able to access “Bullying Resources”. Some of these pdfs are included in the Reading and Resources folder.
To find out more about OT’s role in preventing bullying, please listen to this archived AOTA pediatric chat. Dr. Susan Cahill and several Midwestern University OT Students were the guest speakers! Here is the link: https://www.talkshoe.com/episode/4618965 (if it doesn’t work, cut and paste the link into your browser). It can be downloaded as an mp3 file for those of you who may prefer that.
Although bullying is widespread in many schools, it is important to consider some of the areas of the school and daily school situations which are more commonly associated with bullying experiences. For example, Leigh (2013) noted that bullying is twice as likely to occur on the playground as in the classroom. AOTA-specific resources focus specifically on bullying prevention during recess and during lunchroom use. Hallways during class changes, bathrooms, locker rooms, and gym can be other areas and times where and when bullying behaviors are higher. School bus bullying is sometimes cited as the most common form of bullying among school-aged children and continues to increase (Craig, 2015). School bus bullying, per Craig (2015), can be particularly challenging to address because there is little adult supervision. In fact, research estimates suggest that approximately two bullying episodes happen during each bus ride (Raskaukus, 2005). Heartbreakingly, it can be the worst part of the child’s day.
Retrieved from: TOT 1: Bullying and Tier 1 (2019)
Identify some title options for our OT and school bus FAQ
Safe Rider: A Bus Ride without Bullies
Buses Without Bullies: How to Create a Safe Ride to School For All Students
Buddy Up on the Bus: Ideas for Safe, Inclusive Rides
School Bus Bullying: Strategies to Prevent Bullying and Promote Friendship
School bus Buddies: Promoting Positive Peer Relationships for a Friendly Bus Ride
Let's Be Best Bus Buddies!
Friendships in Transit
Bully-Free Bus Rides for Every Student
Smooth Rides: Implementing and Sustaining Positive Bus Environments
Bus Rides Without Bullies
Starting and Ending School on a Good Note, Bully-Free
Creating a Safe and Bully-Free Bus Environment
Say No to Bullying on School Buses
Safe Schools Begin with Bully-Free Bus Rides
Bus Buddies: Bully-free Bus rides
Bus-t the Bullying
The Bullies on the Bus Go Bye-Bye-Bye
Bully Proof Buses: How to Create a Safe Environment on the Bus
Stop Bullying, Start Friendships: A Guide to Diminishing Bulling on the Bus
The Magic (of friendships) School bus
The Bus-Stop to Bullying
Drive Away Bullies
Buddies not Bullies: Tangible Efforts for Preventing School Bus Bullying
Smooth Riding: A Bully Free Environment
Buddy Up on the Bus
Best Bus Buds
Be a Bus Upstander
Fostering Friendships: Saying No to School Bus Bullying
Bullying Ends on the Bus
Bully-Free Bus Zone
Roll into School Bully-Free
Tier 1 OT intervention Ideas:
Occupational therapists can consider educating bus drivers and other adults on ways to promote a positive bus experiences, as well as steps to take for intervening with bullying behavior.
Occupational therapists can also educate bus drivers on the importance and techniques of modeling appropriate behavior.
The school could also work with the bus companies to decrease the number of students on the bus, or the amount of time students ride the bus.
Bus drivers can provide safe activities for students to do during bus ride (such as coloring or small fidgets) to promote positive experiences and reduce opportunities for problem behaviors.
The school could have another person serve as monitor on the bus rides, allowing for another person to observe the children's behavior on the bus and to take action when necessary.
The school can take part in bullying interventions, educate students in an assembly or even within classrooms so students can gain a better understanding of what bullying is, the implications for it, and promote being upstanders when observing bullying.
The school can provide talk tiles or conversation cards for individuals to engage in friendly get-to-know-you conversations on the bus. This promotes social engagement and friendship skills while hopefully minimizing the likelihood of bullying.
The school can provide adult supervision on the buses to discourage bullying behavior
The school could provide education to bus drivers on how to build positive relationships with students and how to encourage desired/positive behaviors through positive praise or other interventions.
Friendship or conversation cards for all students who ride the bus.
Activity boxes - crafts, adapted stories, etc. could be provided for all students who ride the bus.
Wrap bus rides into PBIS reward systems
The students could be provides with "tasks" or occupations to engage in during their trip
Work with students to feel comfortable standing up for themselves or others and speaking out against bullying while on the bus.
Assign/pick bus buddies while on the bus so that students can be encouraged to make a new friend.
Teach students ways for them to respond to bullying if it happens to them while on the bus.
Place cameras/monitors on the bus (I don't know how feasible this is)
As part of bullying prevention efforts, educate classrooms using real-life simulated scenarios/videos of bus behaviors, and how to proactively address this for all students.
Educated students through classroom role play in order to promote safe bus riding. By educating the students on what bullying is and how/when it is appropriate to stand up for another student in bullying situations.
School-wide assembly on friend-strengthening strategies for the bus and how to stand up against a bully.
Laminated cueing sheets adhered to back of each bus seat with a tip for making a friend, a social game requiring 2-4 players and no equipment, and reminder of one way to healthily deal with being bullied
laminated assigned school seats so students can easily find their seats on the bus
A school assembly where all students attend and bullying is explained. What it is, what it looks like, what to do if it happens, who to go to for help and awareness that there are consequences if it happens.
Educate students on the different forms of bullying and what that could look like on the bus; what the students can do if they see or hear it happening
Work on a bus buddy system for each student to have a bus partner that they have to check in with at the beginning of the day and when they get dropped off to see how they were acting (positive or negative) (this would depend on the age range of students as well)
Each day a student can go home with a laminated gold star. This star would be given out to the most well-behaved student who demonstrated qualities of being a good friend, kindness, and positivity. This reward system would promote positive behavior and encourage students to be friendly to one another.
Every student in the school can attend an assembly (per grade level) that is directed at age appropriate behavior on the bus. Children can view videos such as how to be an upstander which would encourage positive social interactions on the bus. The drivers should be made aware of this and begin to recognize positive acts on the bus. The school could even individually recognize upstanders, which would provide an additional incentive for being kind on the bus.
OT practitioners could break students up into their school bus groups and collaborate with them to write a contract for how they would like to treat one another on the bus. During this group, students would have a space to define acceptable bus behavior. Students and/or the OT could write the rules (or use pictures) on a poster and present it to the bus driver to hang at the front of the bus. This would provide a daily reminder for students to treat one another with kindness and would delineate clear expectations for appropriate, respectful behavior. The bus driver could review the contract with the students each week or month.
The school could add more supervision on the buses along with an assembly for the entire school (even students that do not ride the bus) to make them aware of the proper way to act on the bus. This assembly could include implementing strategies and practicing identifying bullying when it is happening.
OTs can be involved at the district level in gaining information about the possibilities of changes to bus routes, splitting buses, travel time, ect. By knowing where the district stands, OTs can provide more informed solutions to problems that come up during the school year.
OT's can implement a bus program that would allow students to connect with other bus riders. This could involve assigning seats each week so students are able to sit next to someone new and learn about them.
In the beginning of the year, school could assemble groups per bus assignments (and parent pick ups or after school campers) to do team building activities so students can get to know each other.
Occupational therapists could consider implementing “bus buddies”. This could be an assigned pairing of students who can sit together on the bus to enhance positive social connection. This could also encourage older students to be role models for younger students, as well as help students at risk for experiencing bullying.
Similarly, the OTs could do random assigning of bus buddies by drawing out of a bucket in the front of the bus what number seat the child will sit in. Depending on the seat they sit it, a get to know you game or simple game (tic-tac-toe, connect four, etc.) would be on the back of the bus seat for the children to engage in.
Training sessions could help bus drivers learn strategies that enhance the relationship with his/her riders/overall environment of the bus. This could help students who feel they are being bullied or witness acts of bullying feel safe in approaching the bus driver with concerns.
The bus driver could implement themes for each ride if he/she notices students who are at-risk for bullying. This could include conversation topics amongst peers or “I-spy” games to encourage inclusion and positive interactions for all riders.
The bus driver could incorporate "sing-a-long" rides with music to encourage participation of all students on the bus and to promote positive social participation.
The bus driver could assign "missions" on the bus, assigning bus buddies or groups of students on the bus a goal of getting to know the people around them through specific conversation topics.
Occupational therapists could identify students who are "at-risk" for being bullied and provide an intervention to teach them friendship and social skills.
The only general education students who can ride the bus at CPS are siblings of those with special needs. This could provide a cool "buddy" experience, if students with/without special needs might be paired.
Develop a Buddy System for students identified as needing more support - this could be two identified students OR an older student supporting a younger student, etc...
Coached role playing to develop social strategies to manage peer interactions
Work with student that report bullying on the bus to encourage friendship
Assign Bus Buddies of different ages (older and younger) and incorporate social skills/friendship-building activities for these pairs during the school day (e.g., lunch buddy or book buddy could be the bus buddy)
Implement a peer system where students are required to sit with a new peer once a week in order to meet and talk to all of their peers regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.
Pair up based on existing friendships and volunteers one child with a mental disability and one neurotypical kid, preferably who live near each other, to sit together on the bus and have a friend for support if bullying is attempted (strength in numbers concept) as well as to just have fun on the ride
Select a group of "student leaders" on the bus to implement positive social games each week that then rotate; they work individually with a group of staff to think of and practice these games
Target a group of students who might be at risk for engaging in bullying behavior or targeted victims and provide a separate workshop for each, involving anger management skills or friendship building strategies
Implement a bus riding workshop for students to have the ability to express what they like and don't like about the bus in a safe and healthy manner
Students identified for being at risk for bullying could have their assigned seats by the bus driver so that he/she can have more control on what’s going on.
You could target kids that are experiencing/engaging in bullying at school and carry over new learned skills to the bus. LIkely, if a child is being bullied during the school day, they are being bullied on the bus as well since the likelihood of bus bullying is higher.
If it is suspected that students may be lashing out due to sensory defensiveness, an OT could work with these students to teach self-calming strategies. They could also be given the option to sit on an aisle seat so as to not feel boxed in.
For the students that ride the bus they could all be assigned different "buddies" each week so the students are not sitting with the same people every week. This could cut down on bullying because they have to interact with different students in a different way. Also, the students could be given prompts in order to make conversation flow better and get to know each other more.
OT's could identify 'at-risk' students and create a group to address their behaviors and teach them how to behave among other students while riding the bus
Identify at-risk students, both bullies and victims, and develop groups to improve social conscience, empathy, and or resilience.
The bus driver could assign students who are having problems bullying other student’s roles and responsibilities. This could help redirect the students’ attention of power by providing opportunities for improving the overall environment.
When the bus driver observes bullying, the bus driver may speak directly to the student who is bullying, directly stating that is is not acceptable and use prosocial consequences by having the bully apologize to the victim.
The bus driver could assign mentors to the children being bullied. This provides children who demonstrate positive behaviors the chance to act as an upstander while also providing a friend/mentor to a child who is being bullied.
The occupational therapist could identify students being bullied and educate them on strategies to avoid bullying situations, such as sitting in the seat directly behind the bus driver.
Bus journal, for students identified as victims or bullies, can be occupied in a quiet activity to process their feelings during the bus ride.
Ride Supervisor trained in facilitation of calm environments assigned to the bus environment for safety and supervision
Facilitate discussion of specialized transportation options - alternative options for ACTOR not for the victim, unless victim prefers the option of different transportation
Provide assigned seating for students on the bus, placing students reporting bullying towards the front or the bully towards the front for closer supervision.
Have a discussion with the bully and his/her parents to let them know this is no acceptable.
Provide social skills training for those students identified as bullies on the bus (while at school); similarly and separately, for students at-risk for experiencing bus bullying, provide opportunities to process bullying using calming strategies, create social stories to help them navigate possible bullying situations, along with assigning a bus buddy for support
Bus riding is different at every school, so having a system that works for the school to divide the students into weekly rotations of who each child is to sit with. Require assigned seating and have the bus driver provide topics of conversation for the students to answer. When leaving the bus, have the students provide one or two facts they learned about their new peer to the bus driver.
Teach identified victims of bullying one-on-one how to stand up to a bully and friendship-making/friendship-strengthening strategies
Teach bully one-on-one friendship-making strategies
Specific seating arrangement of students who bully paired with students with high resiliency who are upstanders; place these pairs closer to bus driver/adult as needed for extra supervision
Have some consequences to show no tolerance to bullying, calling parents and having a therapist involved, make a plan for the completion of a behavioral assessment to continue more direct services in education, academic or social emotional programs
incorporate incentives for respectful bus behavior, consequences for disrespectful bus behavior
Check in bus sheet, check out bus sheet (would be possible if bus supervisor/school staff riding bus to facilitate the check in and out sheets)
Student’s identified for bullying other students could be sent home with a red flag after the bus driver directly addresses the problem when he sees/or hears it. If the problem re-occurs the bus driver could call their parents and tell them about the student’s behavior.
Pair individual children that have been seen to be an upstander at school with a child that continues to be bullied
A teacher, paraprofessional, OT, etc. could be present when students get off the bus and enter school to help prevent bullying from occurring during this transition period.
Identify at-risk students and implement strategies in order to avoid bullying.
Bus driver could create reward system for 'acts of kindness' the students demonstrate while riding the bus. This could be as simple as using "please and thank you" appropriately or giving someone a compliment.
Identified bullies required to have demerit system with parent signatures, leading to bus suspension or expulsion if the bully repeats offenses a certain number of times. Providing education and strategies to victim to cope with past offenses and prevent/stand up against future situations. Developing buddy systems to pair upstanders with victims or at-risk students.
This FAQ is for practitioners who are considering ways to contribute to a bully free bus experience. What should practitioners think about. See the FAQs provided in the module readings and resources folder. What are the challenges, benefits to a positive experience, why should we consider the bus as a place to provide services...etc.
What are challenges to achieving bully free buses?
Often times, the student to bus driver ration is high. This can lead to little adult supervision for all student bus riders.
Similarly, there are rarely additional adults on the bus other than the bus driver. Therefore, implementing a large intervention on the bus would require additional staffing.
The bus driver’s attention should be focused on the road in order to ensure students' safety during the ride to and from school. This may hinder the ability for the driver to intervene with acts of bullying behavior when in route.
If a child is being bullied on the bus, there usually is not a way for a child to retreat or leave the scene of the bullying as the bus is en route.
Similarly, a child usually has no other option than to take the same bus in order to get to school so they are subject to the same conditions and treatment without intervention.
Because bus driver are focused on the roads, it may be difficult for bus driver's to assist in emotional regulation of the children and to see the reaction of children on the bus as bullying is occurring.
Since the students typically ride the bus based on location, bullies can target the same victim on a daily basis.
At CPS, the only children who are bussed are students that receive special needs, "otherizing" them from the children who walk or are driven to school by their parents.
Bus Driver empowerment - Drivers are not usually district employees, and may not have the ability or skills to defray a negative interaction
Adult : student ratio is 1:60+; primary role is road safety
Tall seat backs offer interfere with drivers' capacity to see all activity
Sensory overload for some students cause hyper emotional responses that make the student vulnerable to bus co-riders.
Turnover / inconsistent driver assigned to routes = little oportunity to get to know the students / establish unique routines.
Little direct adult supervision and guidance; much unstructured time with students of various ages could lead to an imbalance of power and provide greater opportunities for older students to bully younger students
Bullies know the where the students live - negative interactions could be based on students from higher poverty "stops" on the route
Students who enter the bus last may be forced to sit with peers that could taunt them; having assigned seats could help to mitigate this
Bullying on the bus could lead to feelings of fear and anxiety for those being bullied, and those feelings may impact how a student feels and acts in the classroom
Similarly, students who are exhibiting aggressive behavior may have their behaviors filter into the school itself.
Simply put, adults aren't around. Social hierarchical structure depends upon the young students.
No matter how much warning or punishment is associated, people have self-will and a student may choose one of many ways to bully someone else, especially if they think they will get away with it.
Bullies see the bus as an easy target as the same students ride the bus daily
The school bus environment is small and enclosed, causing increased volume in noise level. The noise level can lead to frustration and potential sensory overload, which could cause individuals to act out.
Parents might not have access to other forms of transportation to use while the bullying is getting under control
Drivers need to be focused on driving; therefore even putting a child in a seat where the driver can see them might not be 100% effective
Other modes of bullying (not just verbal) can be happening on the bus without notice, such as kicking the seat backs, tripping students, etc. in an attempt to bully a child
It is very hard to monitor children's behavior on the bus because there is usually one adult and multiple students. This means that children have more ability to do what they want which includes bullying other peers.
Bus monitors aren't equipped to handle conflict.
It is difficult to safely drive the bus while monitoring the student behaviors, especially with such high student ratios.
It is difficult to maintain every student's attention on the bus. Many students see this as social time with their friends and are distracted easily.
What are the benefits to having a positive bus ride experience?
Students who have a positive bus ride experience may be more apt to positive attitudes about school. This can lead to increased engagement and overall academic achievement.
Having a positive bus ride experience can enhance social connection and a sense of belonging amongst peers on the bus.
Often times, bus rides are the first school activity of the day for students. A positive bus ride can help students become excited for school and what the day has to bring them.
Many students ride the bus for at least an hour. Think of the impact of having a positive, pro-social hour and its impacts on mental and physical wellness, as opposed to feeling anxious or afraid for that same period of time.
Bus rides are transitions into and out of the day, setting the stage and offering an opportunity to process and integrate the activity of the day.
Students that are bullied on the bus tend to fear going to school or riding the bus. By having a positive experience, the students will be more eager to go to school.
Positive experiences on the bus might help students to feel good about going to school and help them perform better while there.
A positive bus ride experience can help to build a student's confidence for entering the school day, ready to learn.
Kids feel safe.
Students may feel more connected to their peers and develop positive social and emotional skills
The ride provides a relaxing break between schoolwork and whatever is next when the student steps off the bus.
This could be a time for homework or reviewing for an exam, enhancing academic productivity and learning.
Children can build friendships with peers during this unstructured time if uninhibited.
Students may strengthen their social-emotional skills during this unstructured free time to interact with peers; after-school bus ride may act as a de-stressor as students let go of all of the days expectations and spend time with peers/friends
Students can participate in social engagement, fostering positive friendship's
Children can have downtown away from school and home to socially engage with friends or have some alone time for themselves. This break can allow for their brain to have a break to be able to potentially have better focus on their homework when they get home.
Helps develop a sense of independence away from their teachers and parents when on the bus to be responsible even more so for themselves.
How a child starts there day has a HUGE impact on how they engage in the classroom. If a child dreads the bus in the morning, starts off on a bad note, and then is worried about the bus ride home all day, they cannot be expected to function throughout their school day.
A positive start to a students day can affect them greatly despite what their home life is like or how school is going for them. The bus atmosphere could greatly impact a child's mood for the whole day.
Makes for a better transition.
A time to safely get home, rewind from their day, and/or socialize with friends.
Students are able to start and end their day with a positive experience. It also helps them to feel safe and welcomed when going to school.
Why is the bus an appropriate place to provide occupational therapy services?
Occupational therapists focus on education as a primary occupation for kids and adolescents. According to the OT Practice Framework, riding the school bus can fall under nonacademic formal education participation (AOTA, 2014).
Riding the bus also falls under driving and community mobility (IADL) according to the Practice Framework (AOTA, 2014).
Occupational therapists also address social participation. The environment of the school bus should foster positive social interactions amongst friends/peers and within the school community.
The bus is a critical part of the school day for children. It is important that they feel safe and are able to interact with peers in this environment without feeling targeted or at risk.
The bus is part of the child's natural environment. Providing safe and positive experiences in the student's natural environment is part of our role in school setting OT.
Students that start their school day with negative experiences on the bus are more likely to be impacted with school performance, and OTs help ensure students perform well and excel.
Occupational therapy considers the dynamic interaction between the student, the activity, and the environment which are critical factors to consider in the broad scope of a student's occupational performance in school and related environments. Success, or challenge, on the bus may impact occupational performance during the entire school day.
Occupation is everywhere. To enrich students' quality of life, the bus ride to and from school's associated occupations, from social participation to formal education participation (studying) to resting, can be developed and improved upon.
OT's provide tools and strategies used for social interaction and engagement, if students used these tools a feeling of safety and inclusion can be achieved.
Occupational therapists work with the person, environment, and occupation. Riding the bus is an important environmental aspect for a student, which helps the student fulfill their student role. OTs can help in the process helping students learn strategies to understand how impact full the bus ride can be; starting the day off in a positive environment, ending the school day in a positive environment.
Riding the bus to school is an occupation that kids need (and usually want!) to do! The bus offers opportunities for children to socialize and engage with peers. OTs can target the sensory pieces of riding the bus as well as all of the positive mental health aspects that have the possibility to occur on the bus.
Riding the bus to school is an extremely important occupation for students and it is somewhere where OTs could implement strategies and create change to an environment.
Riding the bus is a functional skills that includes the physical aspect of buckling (and the safety aspect of staying buckled), and the social aspect of being a bus rider.
Community mobility, including participating in bus transportation, is a part of school functioning as well as carryover into adulthood with public transportation.
The occupational therapist is able to adapt the environment for the students in order to carry out effective educational strategies or creating a safe and bully-free riding experience.
How can I help as a practitioner or educator to promote a positive bus experience?
Intervene when you see bullying in the school to ensure that it does not carry over to the bus riding experience. Make sure to talk to both the bullies and the children being bullied.
Positive Bus Behavior program- acknowledge students/busses who display positive bus behavior using positive reinforcement techniques
Educate your students on safe bus practices and friendship skills.
Take part in any school wide programs to promote positive bus experiences or anti-bullying campaigns.
If additional supervision is required on the bus, offer to be trained in providing the intervention to reduce the additional strain from needing more staff members
Educating bus drivers on how to identify bullying, and training them on how to safely and effectively intervene if/when bullying occurs on their bus.
Providing activities for students to do on the bus. Prevent idle hands and minds !
Collaborate with the bus company to include Bus Behavior and and Smooth Rides (a quick ride around the block by classroom for K4 / first year students) during orientation / open house prior to school OR to offer tours by appointment at the bus company the last few weeks of summer for new students.
Establish social stories and practice opportunities for positive Bus Behavior
Wrap Bus reports into PBIS - work with the Bus company to develop a quick way to contribute to PBIS reporting
Collaborate with Bus professionals on the development and dual environment (practice at school and on the bus) implementation of Bus Programming that could include building understanding of the essential contributions of RELATIONSHIPS, POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT, and CONSISTENT EXPECTATIONS to positive bus behavior; educate staff about the unique sensory environment of the bus (vibration, noise, lights, windows, unexpected driving patterns, unexpected touch, crowded, NO ESCAPE) influences a child's behavior and experience.
Have a Bus Box with materials such as headphones, simple stress management tools available for students to trial on the bus (brainstorm with the students about what might work)
Develop a system to track where negative interactions occur between students to head off or improve early identification of bus issues.
Use of PBIS strategies need to extend to the bus. Norms and expectations should be posted and reviewed periodically with all students. Social skills groups could be developed to support those students who contribute to or experience challenges on the bus.
Teach bullying prevention tactics to students.
Teach friendship-making and friendship-strengthening strategies, especially to loners or kids with social difficulties.
Adhere laminated pictures on the backs of the bus seats depicting/cueing students on friendship strategies and safe ideas for how to make the bus ride more fun e.g. group word games
Provide an inviting environment, have the bus driver greet the students before getting on the bus and implementing an "activity day" once a week where everyone on the bus is engaged in one activity (ex. scavenger hunt, I spy, telephone)
Work on different mindfulness strategies for students to enter their own "safe zone"
Collaborate with the school administration/staff to have "mock bus scenarios" for school assembly's to promote bus riding edict
Carryover positive mental health strategies from the classroom, onto the bus!
As a future practitioner intervening when you see bullying is critical! If adults step up and help stop negative behaviors or implement positive strategies for students it can affect all aspects of students lives.
Create a rotating schedule for teachers to ride the bus, this builds their relationship, teachers can quickly touch base with parents. Kids LOVE showing off their homes.
Assessing positive, unsafe, or negative attributes of the bus ride, and tailoring sensory and social-emotional strategies to target the attributes.
Education among bus drivers, families and staff to promote the initiative and help the students carry over the strategies throughout their day.
What are some things OT's need to consider as they implement a program like this?
All students may participate in bullying prevention and may benefit from education on becoming an upstander
Consider additional cost or additional staff members that may be needed to provide interventions
Think about the setting you will provide the intervention- on the buses directly, during assemblies, in classrooms, etc.
Consider training for school staff and bus drivers to ensure everyone is on the same page and that the program is implemented correctly and effectively.
Consider what training (or lack thereof) is already in place. Can your efforts be incorporated into another initiative or do you need to start a new one?
Consider safety precautions: make sure the the bus driver can drive safely
How would we measure the efficacy of this program?
Busing typically would occur outside our work hours.
Administrative push back ?
The bus company would need to be in support of the intervention as well, so it would need buy in from several sources in order to work.
Consider parents and families thoughts and support of the program
If bullying is stopped on the bus, when would bullies try to get to their victims next? (Bullying, unfortunately, won't just stop if it's stopped on the buses, they may try other ways then)
Funding and the need for administrative support and additional resources to expand the role of OT to this important environment.
Money. As always.
Resources available
How to use current tools and supplies to provide cueing/reminding signs in hallways, on bus, etc. about how to make a friend and stand up against bullying.
Incorporating support from teachers and administration to provide reinforcement on friendship strategies taught by reminding and reinforcing during class time.
How practical and memorable are the techniques taught to the students? If it's too wordy, boring, etc. they may not learn or be able to recall how to stand up against a bully in the moment.
Is there evidence supporting that the strategies we implement actually work? We need to avoid worsening bully situations due to teaching strategies that will lead to more bullying due to ineffectiveness.
How to work cohesively as a staff concerned with this school-wide issue
Considering volunteers who would like to be part of the solution (ex. community members who are retired, other people wanting to be more involved, parents, older students who would like to be "leaders" - if a program were to be formed )
Maintaining what is implemented on the bus even off the bus; how to make the intervention continue on
How this will look for different ages
Consider how to address the bullying outside of the bus. We learned a common myth is that the bully and victim should be talked to together to work out the problem, which is not advised!
Consider students' morning routines even before they get on the bus--are there strategies we can be implementing at the bus stop as well?
The bus driver's attitude and ability to establish clear expectations for the bus is an important part of setting the tone for bus behavior. Therefore, it is important for bus drivers to feel equipped with strategies for promoting a positive bus environment. It would also be ideal for the bus driver to get to know each student and greet them each morning.
How feasible it is to implement strategies on a bus. Money and the range of ages and children that take the bus.
Accessibility is a major component. Not every student takes the bus to school so how would other commuters be educated on these strategies as well?
Pre and post assessment measurements to provide data on program success. Determination of what and if any components of the program needs to be completed on the bus.
Although technology is linked to the perils of cyberbulling, there is some promise that certain technologies may offer some advantageous ways to address bullying. In a country where 83% of middle schoolers and 85% of high schoolers have phones (Kessler, 2012), mobile apps can be designed to be a bullying reporting tool that is accessible, available in real-time, and anonymous.
Watch the following TED Talk
http://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_lublin_texting_that_saves_lives#t-11096
Retrieved from: TOT 1: Bullying and Tier 1 (2019)
In this module, you have hopefully learned a lot about bullying and its relationship to school mental health. Many of the resources indicated that defining bullying correctly is a critical aspect of bullying prevention. Since many people are still confused about what bullying is and is not, please create a 1-page handout that you would/could provide to members of the school community outlining the difference between bullying and conflict.