Types of Bullying Include:

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)

Tier 2 Intervention Ideas:

• 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.

Tier 3 Intervention Ideas:

• 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.

Positive School Bus Experience- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

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.

Things OTs Need to Consider Before Implementing a Program

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.