THOUGHT LEADER
Nurturing Positive Student Behavior: Effective Management Strategies
Written by Belinda Govich, NYCDPT, CPTS
Belinda Govich, the assistant director of transportation for
Shenendehowa Central Schools in Clifton Park, New York, trains bus drivers on understanding student behavior.
S
tudent behavior management is crucial in ensuring safe and enjoyable transportation for all students regardless of their abilities. While school buses are a convenient means of com-
muting for students, they can also be a challenging environment for both the driver and attendant due to the close quarters, diverse personalities and special conditions. The school bus is often referred to as an “un- structured environment,” so it is essential to implement effective behavior management strategies to create a positive and orderly atmosphere. The first step in managing student behavior is to establish clear expectations. School transportation departments should develop behavior guidelines for bus transportation and communicate them to students, parents and Individualized Education Program (IEP) team participants. These expectations may include rules regarding noise levels, seat assignments, bullying and appropriate language. By outlining these guidelines, students understand what is expected of them and stakeholders learn the importance behavior plays on overall bus safety, reducing the likelihood of misbehav- ior and increasing support for transportation. This article explores various approaches that can fos- ter positive student behavior on school buses, ensuring a safe and harmonious journey for all. As the assistant director of transportation, I am tasked
46 School Transportation News • JANUARY 2024
with triaging the bus behavior referrals from the trans- portation staff. The most important tool in my toolbox is relationship-building with school principals and their aides. The second most important tool is using data to inform our decision-making process and determine if our system works as we have envisioned. Our school district has over 10,000 students, 217 school buses and 13 public schools. We also service an additional 50-plus schools that are out of the district. In the 2014- 2015 school year, we started collecting data to show how many bus referrals our drivers submit per school year. Our department didn’t have a written plan for the bus team to follow. In the third year of data collection, we produced a student management process that was shared with the drivers and attendants. As each year went by, we re-enforced the process with our staff, especially when we determined drivers were not following the process and were having problems managing their buses. Data showed that school staff was not completing the bus behavior resolution circle and sharing it with our department. Our office staff started to make a concerted effort to complete the circle. Completing the circle and sharing the resolution with our drivers and bus attendants increased our staff’s confidence in the system exponen- tially. The COVID-19 shutdown and subsequent school restart caused bad habits to reappear. As we analyzed the data, we doubled our efforts to ensure transportation and
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