Speaking up against the bullies on the bus

    Are you afraid of the big yellow bus?
    Karen Klein wasn’t – not until recently, when four teenage boys subjected the 68-year-old bus monitor to a barrage of horrific insults and verbal abuse that included threats to her home and her life. The shocking attack was filmed and placed on the Internet, where it quickly went viral.
    It was a difficult video for many to watch, judging from the angry public outcry that followed.
    The incident put a spotlight on the perils of riding the school bus, that lumbering yellow institution used by millions of American students every year. The bus is meant to be a safe way for kids and teens to get to school, but for many it often morphs into a moving metal torture chamber.
    We often hear stories about younger kids who are bullied on the school bus. But Klein’s story is proof that being older isn’t a vaccine against verbal and physical assault. Bullies can be just as vicious with teenagers, teachers, drivers and bus monitors. Their words and deeds can be just as hurtful.
    If you feel like you’ve been put in the crosshairs whenever you get on the bus, you’re not alone. Every day, teenagers are subjected to verbal and physical abuse on school buses. After all, it’s a perfect place for bullies to ply their trade: People are easily cornered; the adult supervision is distracted by the real need to keep their eyes on the road; other students feel like they don’t have any power to stop the abuse.
    According to the National Association for Public Transportation, 90 percent of bus drivers from four school districts in a study reported verbal bullying on their bus routes, and 70 percent noticed physical fights. According to one survey director, “Kids talk about this venue as the worst part of their day.”
    It doesn’t have to be that way. It’s time to end the era of the school bus as a torture chamber.
Need to speak up
    How do you change the tradition of school-bus bullying when anti-bullying legislation, programs and efforts have not yet reached the school bus, where adult supervision is minimal?
    Teens should know that, in these cases, the actions of the bystanders often make all the difference. Staying silent gives bullies opportunity to rule the roost, creating approval of the bully’s actions by default. This is what is called a “mob mentality,” says psychologist Tamara Avant of South University Savannah. Mob mentality makes it easier for bystanders to stay silent, she writes.
    Speaking up when bullying is taking place breaks that spell, says the Anti-Defamation League, which recommends a “zero indifference” policy for students who see or experience bullying.
    Just one voice reacting immediately and telling bullies their behavior is unacceptable can break the chokehold a bully has over the insular bus environment and gather support for the victim.
    If you’re too scared to speak up on the bus, don’t keep the experience to yourself. Tell the school administrators about what is going on and what you’ve witnessed. School bus drivers are not always trained to deal with bullying. A bystander is sometimes the only one who can let administrators know there is something seriously wrong on a particular bus route.
    In some school districts, your voice may be the only one standing between a victim and an abuser.
    What happened to Karen Klein was abhorrent. But it’s also a clarion call for teens and the parents and school districts that are supposed to support them. It’s a call to band together against the bullies that can make riding the bus such a traumatic experience.
    You can make a difference. All you have to do is speak up.