Did you see the video of the 68 year-old Bus Monitor getting bullied and abused by students?
This incident has received attention from across the nation with support pouring in for the bus monitor. But, perhaps what is more important is the lessons we learn from this incident to help prevent future situations from escalating.
Do School Administrators have any clue as to what is happening to Bus Monitors and Bus Drivers on their buses?
How many other Bus Monitors and Bus Drivers is this happening to? Why are Bus Monitors and Bus Drivers not properly trained with the right information on how to respond if students are abusing or bullying them? Do the Bus Monitors understand their roles and responsibilities for responding to the bullying or harassment of other students? Do the Bus Monitors provide a leadership role in the safety of the students on the bus?
Did you see the Bus Driver’s lack of awareness and lack of accountability in the BULLY movie? One of the students featured in the movie was tortured and bullied daily on the bus and due to a lack of awareness and reporting, school administrators and parents were clueless about the situation.
This video, the BULLY movie and too many other incidents clearly reveal the disconnects and gaps that exist between School Administrators and what is happening on buses, in locker rooms, in hallways, at sporting events, online and numerous other locations where bullying and abuse is taking place.
Did you see the passion from caring individuals once a student uploaded the video for others to see? I believe most people want to do the right things, but it is the responsibility of School Administrators to equip their Students, Bus Monitors, Bus Drivers, Teachers, Staff, Counselors, Parents and other community members with the right tools to get the right information to the right people in the right places at the right time with the right documentation so people can do the right things….right now!
I can’t imagine any School Administrators would want to see their name and their school in the headlines around the world for an incident like this.
If you want to see how early adopter schools have taken the lead in utilizing innovative tools that empower students and all personnel at the school to take proactive actions, I hope you will have your School Administrators contact me at info @ awareity.com as soon as possible.
Early adopter schools are empowering their students, personnel, parents and others with the ability to report incidents (anonymously or non-anonymously) and using innovative tools ensure the incident report (and videos, screenshots, etc.) gets to the right people immediately so they can investigate, intervene and prevent incidents like these before they lead to a tragedy or go viral on the Internet and lead to lots of expensive costs (legal, reputation, media, parent outrage, stress, investigations, fines, etc.) that could have been prevented.