SPECIAL REPORT M
Anxiety of New School Year Exacerbated by Security Concerns
any students nationwide are returning to school this month for the first time since the Uvalde, Texas tragedy in late May. Most like- ly, the school bus driver will be the first staff
person to greet them. That may make for some anxious students as they board the bus, anxious parents who see them off, and even anxious bus drivers who receive them. Scott A. Woitaszewski, Ph.D., director of the school psy-
chology program in the department of counseling and school psychology at the University of Wisconsin in River Falls, noted sometimes school bus drivers can be neglect- ed in school safety and crisis response efforts. “But often they can be the frontline eyes and ears of a school,” he added. One starting point in any school district is to empha- size to school bus drivers how important they are in the role of a student’s well-being and include them in those efforts. Woitaszewski referenced the “20/20” rule: 20 percent of young people have a significant psychologi- cal, academic or behavioral challenge, and of those only 20 percent will ever get any help. For the most part, that assistance will come through the school system. “For bus drivers, 20 percent of the kids getting on their bus could be struggling with something,” Woitaszewski observed. “That bus driver could be the link to some oth- er support. Making sure they have a way to connect to a referral process, a manager, a mental health professional can really make a big difference to the child. They may be the one who gets that child help.” Woitaszewski said every school should have a pro- cess in place to help school bus drivers navigate potential student questions or possible changes in a student’s emotions, appearance or behavior. “If you see something, say something,” is always good guidance, Woitaszewski noted. “It would be reassuring for any staff member that they
know what they can do to help and they don’t have to do it all themselves,” he shared. The response could involve a referral form that
includes a checklist of factors of concern, such as sig- nificant changes in behavior or emotion or “things that haven’t subsided yet,” the psychologist commented. “It’s common for kids to have ups and downs emotion-
ally, but if a child looks or is acting different for several weeks, you certainly want to make somebody else who can act on that is aware of it,” Woitaszewski said. He added that in the scenario where an anxious
20 School Transportation News • AUGUST 2022
Written By Carol Brzozowski
student boards a bus and talks to the driver about safe- ty—asking if something bad is going to happen at their school or will a shooter come to the school—there are techniques that can be deployed. “I encourage adults to empathize a little bit, first of all,
[that] it’s OK to have a variety of feelings. We don’t want to tell a child, ‘Don’t be anxious.’ It’s even OK for adults to say, ‘Sometimes I get a little a little bit worried, too,’” he said. “Modeling calm can be reassuring. Don’t provide unnecessary details. Let their questions be your guide. Sometimes it requires providing some basic facts. Some- times it’s dispelling rumors that’s necessary.” A tough question such as, “Is someone going to come
into our school and shoot us up?’ would be enough to put any adult on their heels, Woitaszewski pointed out. “You don’t want to say no, it’s never going to happen. You
can’t promise that. You don’t want to say yes,” he added. One technique is to talk about what the school is doing
to keep everyone safe. Woitaszewski advised discussing with the student, the adult presence at the school or other safety features that may be in place, he added. The National Association of School Psychologists
(NASP) advises that in speaking with students about school violence, reassure them that the school is doing everything possible to keep them safe and while the pos- sibility of violence exists, the probability that it will affect a particular school is low. For elementary school students, questions should be
answered simply without extensive details and balanced with reassurances that they and their loved ones are safe and protected. For upper elementary and early middle school, provide factual information to correct misinfor- mation and help them separate reality from fantasy. For upper middle and high school students, listen to their ideas and observations about current safety efforts. Emphasize why and how to follow school safety guide- lines, report concerns and get help. School bus drivers also could be struggling with anx-
iety over school violence. NASP has a school safety and crisis response curriculum, called PREPaRE, focused on care for the caregiver, Woitaszewski noted. While it’s targeted for educators and mental health professionals, “it certainly involves bus drivers as well,” he added. “Care for the caregiver means we’re giving ourselves permission to take care of ourselves. And we’re talking to others about that—we have a culture of care,” Woitasze- wski continued. “If a bus driver needs to take a day off
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