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Bullying Takes Center Stage at NAPT Summit and on National Agenda


By Stephane Babcock It is an issue that has been discussed


at length and experienced in one way or another by a majority of those within the industry and around the country. Bullying and the effects it has on its victims, the school system and the nation as a whole has been thrust into the spotlight by trag- edies and incidents caught on tape, like the case of James Jones. Te Florida father stormed onto a Semi-


nole County, Fla., school bus after learning that some students were allegedly harass- ing and bullying his daughter, Chatari, who suffers from an acute form of cerebral palsy. After sitting on a panel discussion during the NAPT Summit on Oct. 31, Jones is trying to focus the national attention away his actions and onto the root of the problem. “I am working on ways to keep this mes-


sage on people’s minds,” said Jones. “I’m just a simple dad. But if there is anything I can do to make sure that bullying stops, I’m going to do it. Whether speaking to groups


Some panelists, like James and Chatari Jones (left) and RJ Mitte (second from right), have experienced the pain of bullying first hand.


or writing about my experience, I want to keep reminding people that bullying doesn’t just make kids feel bad, today they are taking their lives and taking the lives of other students in the process. As parents, we need to do everything in our power to help our kids.” For Jones and others who have become


frustrated with the seemingly increased number of bullying incidents, the most important factor in all of this is the vic- tims. According to a number of surveys that have recently hit the media, bullying is affecting more children than originally thought. In “Ethics of American Youth,” a study by the non-profit Josephson In- stitute of Ethics, researchers surveyed 40,000 high school students, close to half of whom revealed that they had been bullied in that past year. A slightly higher number of students admitted to bullying someone within the last 12 months. RJ Mitte of the AMC television series


STNonline Readers React to Jones’ Actions Tere have been a number of comments posted to almost


every online article we’ve written on James Jones, some that have had to be removed due to the language used. Te issue of bullying seems to bring out a fire in those it touches. We have included some of the online discussion on the Jones incident to show how some of our readers are reacting.


“He repeats the bullying behavior he wishes to end and gets


honored for it? Tat’s wrong.” — Shellyj “If watching over your children is bullying, then I’ll be a bully


‘till the day that I die.” — Bagnolejalopy “Leave it to the ‘lame stream’ liberal media to label someone,


on probation for their illegal actions, a hero.” — Manager “Mr. Jones you are an AMERICAN HERO! It is the DNA of


18 School Transportation News Magazine January 2011


“Breaking Bad” was also on hand for the NAPT panel and offered a slightly differ- ent perspective. Before landing his role in the dramatic series, Mitte experienced bullying first hand while growing up with cerebral palsy. “Te way I have dealt with bullying as


a person with a disability has made me a stronger individual,” said Mitte. “I was lucky enough to have a solid support system of family and friends to help me through my personal challenges with bullying.” Mitte and said he and his PR team have


been working on a plan that includes involving organizations like PACER’s Na- tional Center for Bullying Prevention and the National Disability Institute. Mitte is brainstorming new ways to educate people and allow more access to what is already available to people in need. Jones previously stated that he will also be working with PACER in the future. “Tink before you act because your


this nation NOT to be bullied! I have a daughter that was also bullied, and still can not believe the school’s handling of it. Her teacher had the nerve to call me at my home and refer to my daughter as a little ‘squealer’. Lucky for me I worked nights, so I had all day to hound the principal and school district. Eventually the teacher was removed. Te student responsible had been ex- pelled for another reason. I hope lawsuits will cause the schools to toughen up.” — Weeoz “I was at the NAPT conference and am appalled that we are


making this man a national hero. We continue to teach our children that behaving inappropriately is the way to resolve problems. Poor parenting such as this should not be applauded by our nation. Let’s teach our children to work with the people placed in the positions of trust to resolve issues.” — Concerned


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