School Bus Bullying

NEOSHO, MO.--- A disturbing YouTube video upsets parents and teachers. The video contains footage of a school bus monitor being severely ridiculed by students. Educators say the school bus can be a common place for bullying, if the proper steps aren't taken.The incident of bullying caught on camera in New York, is scary for many school officials and parents to witness. "It was extremely viscous," states Stephen McCullough, Freeman Ozark Center. Mental health experts believe this desire for students to torment comes from a need to control their social environment. "It could be factors at home, could be things at school, dynamics between other kids," states McCullough.

Neosho school officials say buses are the most common place for bullying to take place. "Bus driver's sits down, turns their back on the students. You may have 60 students there, where in classroom you only have 25 or 30 at the most. The bus driver can't get up and walk around so there is a lot more isolation," states Jacque Faulkner, Neosho Transportation Director. Because they recognize how serious bullying can be, teachers in Neosho use a program called "Positive Intervention Behavior Support or PIBS.

"Not only do they train for it and they educate the kids, they enforce it. They make it a reality and that has carried over big time onto the school buses," states Faulkner. Counselors say bullying can be avoided most of the time by parents talking to their kids. The Neosho School District implemented the PIBS program four years ago. Since then, their disciplinary referrals from school bus incidents have dropped 50%.