The Magic School
Bus Driver:
SWPBS Behind the Wheel
Who we are…

G. Dorr Catherman –
Kalamazoo RESA,
Positive Behavior
Support Coach

Ethan Morgenstein Kalamazoo RESA,
Positive Behavior
Support Coach
Norms & Agenda
1. Why PBS and Buses
2. Preparation
3. Strategies
4. Content
5. Follow up
6. Next Steps
It doesn’t have to be like this…
1. Why PBS and Buses

Everyone in a School is an Educator
Why are
you here?
A Good Bus Ride Can…




Set the tone of the day
Be a child’s only positive experience
Be a time to prepare for school
Be a time to wind down from school
The disconnect between
Buses and Schools
2. Preparation



Approval from
Superintendant and
Transportation
Supervisor
Develop Training
evaluations
Learn what other
districts are doing:
Springfield, OR
“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six
hours sharpening my axe.” –Abraham Lincoln
Initial Discussion

PBS Training for
Drivers is NOT a
quick fix
 This will not produce
immediate results
 Leadership and
Follow Up is a
necessary component
PBS in the District

Take into consideration what role PBS plays in
your school district
 Has it been adopted? Is it prevalent?
 Kalamazoo vs. Portage
Randy Sprick
 Why
reinvent the wheel??
Riding the Bus

Go for a real ride or two
 Talk to a driver
 Observe student behavior
Know your Audience

Find out what kind of
team they have
 Any awards?
 What kind of training
do they get?
 Have they been
interviewed, received
any press?
Statistics from Kalamazoo
“I urge you to make the most of your school bus
driver training period. The 11,000 students and
2,000 staff members will rely on you and your
colleagues to operate 500 runs during the
school day, almost 60 runs in the evening, and
2,000 field trips throughout the school year
period. All totaled you will safely transport
almost 3 million riders while driving almost 2
million miles. This is impressive work!”
– Letter from Superintendant to KPS Bus Drivers
The Training Manual





Review the driver
training manual
Find out what is in
there
Statistics…
Policies…
Rules…
Complete a Survey

Survey to schools
(principals,
counselors, behavior
specialists) and
drivers
 Find out what the
issues are
 What are their ideas
for solutions
School Staff Survey Results

When you need to communicate something to a bus driver
working with your school, are you able to do that successfully?

Always (5) 39%

Usually (6) 46%

Sometimes (2) 15%

Rarely (0)

Never (0)

To the best of your knowledge, are you aware of clearly defined
expectations for student behavior on the school bus?

Always (3) 23%

Usually (7) 54%

Sometimes (1) 8%

Rarely (1) 8%

Never (1) 8%
Survey (continued)
If so, are you aware that clear expectations for student
behavior on the school bus are taught?

Always (0)

Usually (4) 31%

Sometimes (6) 46%

Rarely (2) 15%

Never (1) 8%
Have the bus drivers from working with your school been
trained in the forms of behavior support that are used
in your school?

All of them have been trained (1) 8%

Some of them have been trained (6) 46%

None of them have been trained (4) 31%

Don’t know (2) 15%
Survey (continued)
Do you think that student in your school have incentives for
good behavior when riding the bus?

All students have incentives for good behavior (2) 8%

Some students have incentives (5) 39%

None of the students have incentives (3) 23%

Don’t know (3) 23%
What do you think the MOST IMPORTANT thing that could be
done to improve the students bus riding behavior?

Provide more support to drivers (3) 23%

Give the student time to practice bus routines (2) 15%

Use more incentives for students (2) 15%

Have stronger bus discipline policies for students (1) 8%

Other (please comment)
Watching Bus Video Tapes

This gives a look at a
sample of what really
happens on the bus
 Variety of drivers and
students
 Where everything is
captured –
YouTube…
"Brilliance innovates. Genius steals."
Learn what other districts are doing
David Douglas School District
Transportation Department
Adapted from:
Ericka Guynes
Riding the Bus



Stay seated
Keep aisles &
emergency exits
clear
Keep self & objects
inside the bus



Keep food and
drink in your bag
Follow Driver
directions
Keep bus clean




Exiting the Bus




Evacuation



Take turns leaving;
front to back
Move to a safe spot
away from bus
Hold the handrail
Wait for Driver
directions

Stay quiet
Listen for directions
Leave belongings on
bus


Stay seated until
door opens
Take belongings
with you



Follow Driver
directions
Help others when
appropriate

Keep hands, feet
and objects to
self
Ask permission to
open windows
Use appropriate
language and
topics
Use a quiet voice
(level 2)
Keep arm’s length
between you &
person in front of
you
Use quiet voice
(level 2)
Exit quickly and
safely
REYNOLDS SCHOOL DISTRICT
TRANPORTATION
Student Expectations
BUS
Waiting for Bus
Safe



Entering the Bus


Responsible
Stay behind white
line and off the
street
Keep hands, feet
and objects to
self
Wait for Driver
directions

Wait for Driver
directions
Hold the Handrail



Follow Driver
directions
Line up
appropriately
Remain in line
Respectful




Be seated quickly
and slide over
Remain seated


Greet the bus
driver
Be respectful of
others and their
property
Keep hands,
feet and objects
to self
Keep arms
length between
you and person
in front of you
Use quiet voice
(level 2)
Bus Expectations – Portland, OR
Lesson
Plan
Example
Lesson
Plan
Example
DRAFT
3rd Lesson Plan: RIDING THE BUS
*NOTE—after the drivers are seated, go through the lesson. Then after you’re done, ask them all to
show you how they should ride the bus correctly. After, they all are “riding the bus” correctly, ask
them questions again about correctly riding the bus for review.
Lesson
The expected behavior for: RIDING THE BUS
When riding the bus, you (the students) will:
Plan
1.
Follow directions from driver.
2.
Remain seated, seat-to-seat, back-to-back, keep your hands and feet to yourself and
your belongings on your lap.
Example
3.
Keep your self and all objects inside the bus at all times.
4.
Get the driver’s permission before you open windows.
5.
Discuss appropriate topics using appropriate language in a level 2 voice—talking
voice (the person next to you can hear you, but the person across the aisle can not)
a.
“Let’s talk about that for a minute. Sometimes the topics y ou talk about at home or on
the phone with your friends aren’t appropriate for the school bus or other public places.
If the school principal could hear you and you would NOT get in trouble, then you’re
probably talking about an appropriate subject using appropriate language.”
b. If you are having a problem on the bus and you cannot resolve it on your own, please
talk to your bus driver for help.
RATI ONALE (reason) for expected behavior:
1.
Why do you need to follow directions from the driver?
We want you to follow directions from your driver to keep you from getting hurt and
to keep you safe.
2.
Why do you need to remain seated, seat-to-seat, back-to-back, keeping your hands and feet to
yourself and your belo ngings on your lap?
a. The bus doesn’t have seatbelts—instead it has specially designed seats that
are built to protect you in case of an accident—you need to be seated properly
for the seats to protect you.
i. (Let’s say you were leaning across the aisle and the driver had to suddenly
slam on the brakes because a car pulled out in front of the bus. You would
i. probably fall down the aisle and hurt yourself pretty bad. If you’re seated
properly…the seat would protect you.)
b. So that there is room for everyone to sit and the emergency exits, aisle ways
and floor are clear.
i. (*Remember the can of soda that rolled under the gas pedal…that’s
dangerous!)
Lesson
Plan
Example
3. Why do you need to keep your self and objects inside the bus?
a Because you can get hurt if you put your hands, arm, head, out the window and you
can cause an accident by throwing objects off of the bus.
i *Gear this appropriately for the age of your audience*—“There have been
incidents when kids put their arms and heads out of the window…and they hit
something outside the bus and that part of their body wasn’t attached anymore.
Now I know it’s not nice to talk about a kid losing their arm (older kids only—
or getting decapitated), but the fact is that has happened before and we don’t
want it to happen again. Imagine how your family would feel if we had to call
them from the hospital and tell them that you lost one of your arms (older kids
only—or that you had died) because you didn’t follow the rules on the bus. We
just don’t want an awful thing like that to happen to any of you.”
ii. You might think that throwing a piece of wadded up paper isn’t a big deal.
But that can cause a very bad accident. When you throw something out the
window, it might hit another car’s windshield, surprise them and cause them
to swerve causing an accident, and people can get hurt. So, keep yourself
and everything else inside the bus.”
4. Why do you need to get the driver’s permission before you open windows?
a. It is the drivers decision to allow you to open the windows.
b. You might need to stand up to open the window, so asking the driver first ensures that
you only do it when the driver knows it’s safe.
5. Why do you need to discuss only appropriate topics using appropriate language?
a. To be considerate of others around you.
i (Sometimes people don’t like to hear some topics talked about and they can
get offended or upset. So it’s nice and considerate of other people’s feelings to
talk about subjects that everybody would be ok with.)
WHY PBS??
Increased Valuable Time

Reduction in Referrals:





Increased academic time for students
Increased time for administrators to focus on
academic leadership
Decreased bus/classroom disruptions
Improvement in district-wide environment
Increased Time To Drive The Bus Without
Distractions!
How Can You Implement PBS
On Your Buses
1. Establish a PBS Team
2. Align with school and district PBS efforts
3. Develop clear expectations for:
-Waiting for the Bus
-Entering the Bus
-Riding the Bus
-Exiting the Bus
4. Teach all expectations
5. Reward appropriate behaviors
6. Remember 5:1 positive to negative principle
7. Use data to monitor and adjust
3. Strategies
Setting Expectations / Norms
H.O.P.E.
– Honesty
 O – Open-Mindedness
 P – Practical ideas
 E – Enthusiasm
H
A Time for Venting



Create an opportunity for staff to vent
Validate frustration
Parking Lot Strategy
“Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a
reason.” –Jerry Seinfeld
Driving isn’t Easy
 Acknowledge
the job
hard work and challenge of
Using Humor

Make the training fun
 Video Clips
 Photos
Some Different Styles
Keep them moving!





Keep your audience
engaged
Include activities
Small group
Large group
Elicit feedback
Anita Archer
4. Content for the Training
The real nightlife of a driver
Make Rules…
And Enforce Them…
When we put down the paddle…
We started to use:




Role Power
Emotional Intensity
Punishment as Power
Hoping and Praying
Essential Practices of
Positive Behavior Support
Define
Teach
Monitor
Acknowledge
Correct
Use Information
EDISON S.T.O.R.M. TEAM
SWIS Data:
Individual Student Report
Group Activity:
What do YOU want to see

Create 4 Groups
 Go to a STATION
 DEFINE Expectations



Safe
Respectful
Responsible
Essential Practices of
Positive Behavior Support
Define
Teach
Monitor
Acknowledge
Correct
Use Information
Teaching Expectations
Teaching the Danger Zones
Voice Signals for the Bus

0 Be Silent

1 Whisper

2 Quiet Voice

3 Normal Conversation

4 Outside Voice
Correcting Behaviors: Flow Chart
Coordinating with Schools
Why
is this
important?
Coordination

What are the biggest barriers?
 Who do you talk to?
 When can you find time?
 What is the best way to do this?
5. Follow Up
Collaboration with District
Leadership

Collaboration is essential in follow-up
 Train + Hope = Ineffective strategy
 PBS Leadership – Transportation Leadership –
Building Leadership
Create a Team of Drivers
Creating a “system” that
meets consistently
 Effort should be lead by
drivers
 Drivers need to have
input
 Help in development,
implementation, and
follow-up

Aligning documentation
Including drivers in all steps
• Defining Expectations
• Teaching Expectations
• Monitoring Behaviors
• Acknowledging Expected Behavior
• Correcting Behavioral Errors
• Using information for decision making
6. Next Steps

Is this feasible in your
district?
 How do you start?
 Who are the people to
include??
On-Going Training and Research
Collecting Data to Learn
where the need is
Provide More
Training for Bus
Staff
Collaborate with
Leadership
Learn from other
schools
Springfield, OR
What Does This Mean Directly
For the Transportation Team?
The Bus ride is one of the most
important and critical times of the
school day for most students. The
School Climate is established on the
bus and the final success of each day
ends when the student gets off the
bus. Behavior Expectations and Safety
are reinforced and solidified on the
bus.
You make a great difference!
References
Method: Internet research, relentless phone calls and emails.





www.Youtube.com – Cat Herders, Bus Drag Race…
Laura Riffel, www.behaviordoctor.org
Ercka Guynes, David Douglas School District, Portland,
Oregon
Michele Cook, Gresham-Barlow School District,
Gresham, Oregon
Randy Sprick, Safe and Civil Schools,
www.safeandcivilschools.com
Questions
Contact Us
 Ethan
Morgenstein:
emorgens@kresanet.org
 G.
Dorr Catherman:
gcatherm@kresanet.org