ANALYSIS
How Do You Handle School Bus Rider Questions and Information?
I always thought there is a lot of truth to the saying, “Be careful what you ask for, because you might By Dr. Linda F. Bluth
get it.” I find the irony and sarcasm irresistible. But after a recent sit-down with some high school students to assess their thoughts about the school bus, I think truer words have never been spoken. I began my conversation with this particular group of students by asking them to ask me ques-
tions. In response to the first one – “Why are school buses yellow?” – I explained how Dr. Frank W. Cyr organized a conference in 1939 that established national school-bus construction standards, including the standard color of yellow for the school bus and said, “Black lettering on this color was the easiest to see in the semi-darkness of early morning.” I was quickly challenged with an unanticipated follow-up question. “Why not change the color to
green? Green is a connection between the school bus and saving energy or saving money.” At that point, I realized I had exited my short-lived comfort zone. You see, as a policy specialist, my forte is problem solving, especially from a systems perspective
and particularly in the area of transportation for students with special needs. Tese students, how- ever, turned the table on me. Te more I listened, the more I learned, and the things I learned made me uneasy. Tese students quickly turned me into a “listener extraordinaire.” What do you say to a student who comments that his driver is older than his grandfather? Or to
a student athlete that is six feet four inches tall and weighs more than 200 pounds and dreads rid- ing the bus because of the size of his seat? Or to the student who wants to know why he can’t use his computer or text on a 45-minute ride each way to or from school? Or to the student who asks why they can’t eat a breakfast bar on the school bus when it picks them up 6:45 a.m. and arrives 10 minutes before her first class? Or to the student who is brought to school so early that he has to stand outside in the cold for nearly 30 minutes before being allowed into the school building? One student asked me a question about the driver selection process that really took me by
surprise. When I presented what I thought was a reasonable thoughtful response, emphasizing the training involved, the student responded, “Lady, have you met my driver?” Another student told me she asked her driver for help because she and her sister were being
harassed during their ride to school. Te driver reportedly stated she could not address the matter because she could not see the harassment. Tis particularly interested me, so I asked her to tell me more. Apparently the driver said there were so many kids on the bus that it was hard to observe every situation. I thought perhaps I had a solution for her specific situation. I suggested that she and her sister sit in the first three rows. She responded, “Not possible, those seats were always taken.” She and her sister were apparently among the last students to be picked up on the morning route. I later followed up with a limited number of drivers about the matter of student supervision and
observation on large school buses. Tese drivers shared their frustrations and admitted that there were limitations to observing students because of high seatbacks. While I applaud the safety factor, I am un- willing to accept it as an acceptable limitation for attending to student harassment and bullying issues. When all was said and done, from my perspective, I had received many more good questions
than I had acceptable answers. Tis troubles me. I intend to make a conscious effort to dig deeper and have more conversations and communications with these very important stakeholders. Te yellow bus cannot be considered a viable mode of transportation in the future if we don’t carefully attend to customers and provide meaningful answers to their questions. I must admit that although I was frustrated by my inability to answer every question, I enjoyed
talking with these students and learned a lot from listening to them. Tey are smart, have good ideas and are more polite and respectful than many people think. If there is one thing I took away from stepping out of my comfort zone, it was that teenagers are grateful for unconditional oppor- tunities to express their thoughts and feelings. ■
Bluth is the president of NAPT and a specialist in the Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services at the Maryland State Department of Education.
42 School Transportation News Magazine August 2011
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