BACKING UP THE BUS Canyons School District Bus PBIS Implementation

BACKGROUND  Working the last four years to get PBIS up and running in all of Canyons School District elementary schools  End of 3 rd year a school who had experienced a lot of success with PBIS called and asked for assistance with PBIS on the BUS  District PBIS team liked the idea. The team approached district administration and got approval to present the idea to our elementary school principals  Principals gave us the go ahead and said they would support us with teaching BUS rules at their school and following up with reinforcement  Contact was then made with the Transportation Department...

THE MERGING OF TWO WORLDS  We had to merge two systems  Bus drivers do not have district  Bus drivers have no formal training on behavior management  Bus driver’s are on a tight timeline  Training and routes  The norm for the bus driver’s is “We drive students safely to school. That is our job.”  Many bus driver’s don’t see behavior as being a part of their job  Bus driver’s don’t have natural feedback loops  Teachers and administrators do not know what bus regulations are  Parents, Teachers and administrators rarely take time to look at things from the bus driver’s point of view  Nobody backs up the bus driver

3%3% 5-10% There are 80-85% Green Zone Students

BUS EXPECTATIONS MATRIX

TO CHANGE A BEHAVIOR…. RESEARCH SHOWS A PERSON NEEDS TO HAVE MORE THEN 4 POSITIVES TO EVERY NEGATIVE RESEARCH ALSO SHOWS PUNISHMENT ALONE DOES NOT CHANGE BEHAVIOR

THE DRIVER’S SIDE Students Don’t Follow Rules Bus Driver Stress Goes Up Driving Becomes More Difficult Driver has to Enforce Rules, Deliver Consequences, and Communicate with School Bad Bus Vibes

THE PASSENGER’S SIDE Students Act Out Because They Don’t Follow the Rules, Feel Unsafe or Have Disabilities Riding the Bus Becomes Unpleasant for Most Consequences on the Bus May Lead to Loss of Academic Time Bad Bus Vibes

CSD DATA

FOUR PILLARS OF PBIS  Establish Expectations  Should be stated & taught positively  Explicitly Teach Expectations  Make sure that ALL students understand the rules, and have a chance to practice desired behaviors.  Reteach expectations and re-practice desired behaviors when problem behaviors spike, or when they might be expected to spike (i.e. holidays)  Reinforce Expectations  Catch students doing the things you want them to be doing, and acknowledge them in front of their peers.  Prevent problem behaviors from occurring by increasing positive reinforcement to those who are doing it right.  Correct Problem Behavior  Consistently follow problem behavior correction protocol  Use the least amount of punishment as possible, and always have the students practice the correct behavior to ensure that they understand what they should be doing.

ESTABLISH EXPECTATIONS

ESTABLISH EXPECTATIONS FOR ALL STUDENTS  B e Responsible  U se Respect  Stay S afe

BUS EXPECTATIONS MATRIX

TEACH EXPECTATIONS

WHY TAKE TIME TO TEACH EXPECTATIONS?  If a child doesn’t know how to read... We teach.  If a child doesn’t know how to swing... We teach.  If a child doesn’t know how to multiply... We teach.  If a child doesn’t know how to drive... We teach.  If a child doesn’t know how to behave... we _______  ……...Teach? ……….Punish?  Why can’t we finish the last sentence as automatically as we do the others?

TEACH EXPECTATIONS  Schools teach BUS expectations at the beginning of the year using the matrix and lesson plans  Drivers are encouraged to re-teach and re- practice as needed, particularly when behavior problems spike, or when behavior problems are most likely to spike (i.e. before holidays, spring break, etc.)  The more positive the re-teaching, the more impactful it will be!

REINFORCE EXPECTATIONS

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care. Theodore Roosevelt  Learn the student’s names  Greet them as they enter and exit the bus  Ask brief questions about their activities  Show interest in student activities and big events  Share your interests with the students  Allow your personality to show on the bus  Use “I noticed... “ statements to engage students who have not engaged otherwise

REINFORCE EXPECTATIONS  Give positive feedback consistently  Have fun  Mix up the reward system as needed Ideas:  Build a “District Bus Driver Toolbox”  Verbal praise  Bus Bucks – schools have agreed to accept bus bucks and incorporate them into their rewards systems  Special Seat  Talk on the PA  First one off the Bus

CONTINUUM OF REINFORCEMENT  Natural Success  Nod, wink, etc.  “Thanks”  Public Acknowledgement  Token Acknowledgement  Privileges  Tangibles  Small to Large

BUS BUCK SAMPLE

CORRECT PROBLEM BEHAVIOR

MAJOR VS. MINOR BEHAVIORS Majors: Repeated Minor Offenses Fighting Vandalism Unacceptable Conduct/Insubordination Harassment/Bullying Inappropriate Language Towards Bus Driver Inappropriate materials Weapons Stealing Minors: Disruptive Behavior Property Misuse Inappropriate language Arguments Eat/Drink when not appropriate Failure to keep the bus clean Failure to remain seated Hanging out the Window

HANDLING BEHAVIORS  Flow Chart

MINOR BEHAVIOR VIOLATIONS FORM

WHAT DOES CORRECTING PROBLEM BEHAVIOR LOOK LIKE?  “Have I ensured the students know this expectation?”  If no, Re-teach If yes, Consider:  Verbal Warning  Seat Assignment  Last Off the Bus  Inform Student You’ll be Speaking with the Principal

BUS REFERRAL SLIP

WHAT WE’VE LEARNED  Support of the Transportation Department is ESSENTIAL  Especially the Director  Feedback loop to keep bus drivers informed  Bus drivers need to be reinforced by schools and district  Schools have to follow-through with reinforcement and consequences  Schools have to be trained on how to teach expectations and use the lesson plans  Schools and district personnel need to know bus driver policy  Just as time is scarce for educators, time is scarce for bus drivers  Bus drivers and schools typically don’t have a good working relationship (hopefully not in your district)  Majority of problems could be handled if principals scheduled time to meet with bus drivers