ESProfessional Bus Drivers and Bullying Prevention
Last year NEA conducted a nation-
wide study about bullying. The NEA 2010 Nationwide Survey of Bullying: Teachers and ESP Perspectives is a landmark look at what employees think and do about the issue of bullying in public schools. It confirmed what the Association knew in our hearts and myriad anecdotes from the field – NEA members are committed to bullying and harassment preven- tion. The issue is with you every day, and with patience and perseverance, schools will be bully free. NEA surveyed 5,064 members, including
2,900 education support professionals (ESPs), about issues relating to bullying in public schools. Of these ESP, 470 bus drivers were sur- veyed and summaries were collected in a four- page brief, Bus Drivers and Bullying Prevention, which can be viewed online at www.nea.org/ assets/docs/ESP-Bus-Bullying-final.pdf. This brief provides practical tips about what
ESP Action
Be sure to check out these other stories for more opportunities to get involved and take action.
14 Awards & Grants
17 AEA Advocacy Help Desk
27 Association Governance
bus drivers can do to prevent or intervene in bullying situations, and lists resources for further information. Below is a summary of some of the findings in the new brief: • Half of the bus drivers surveyed reported witnessing bullying several times a month.
• Bus drivers were 36 percent more likely to hear reports of bullying from students and parents than other ESPs.
• 92 percent of bus drivers surveyed reported that they feel it is "their job" to intervene in bullying situations.
• Bus drivers want more training – both on school district policies about bullying and about how to intervene in specific bullying situations, such as bullying because of sexual orientation, race, gender, or religion.
• Bus drivers need to be invited to join commit- tees on bullying prevention. Only 23 percent of them reported being involved in bullying prevention efforts. Bus Drivers and Bullying Prevention is the
first in a series of briefs based on findings from NEA's nationwide bullying prevention survey. Future briefs will be "Paraprofessionals and Bullying," "Food Service Workers and Bullying," and "Clerical Workers and Bullying." For ad- ditional information on bullying prevention, visit NEA's Bully Free: It Starts With Me site at www. nea.org/home/NEABullyFreeSchools.html. ✒
SharE Your StorY Are you a bus driver with a story about
how you and your colleagues are working to prevent bullying on your district's buses? We want to hear it. Send a note to Steve Lemken at slemken@nea.org at NEA Education Support Professional Quality. We are looking for members in these job families who have helped with this issue one-one-one or with a program at your school or in your district.
NEA ESP Conference Scholarship Contest
How would you like to win an all expense
paid trip to the NEA ESP Conference? Here's your chance! NEA ESPQ will award ten scholar- ships to the top NEA ESP recruiters in 2011. Membership is the heart and soul of NEA.
ESP members are the fastest growing member- ship group in NEA and we want to keep it up! The ten ESP members who recruit the most new members between May 1, 2011 and December 1, 2011, and submit a signed verification form,
18 Winter 2011/12 ❘ AEA Advocate
will win an all-expense paid scholarship to the 2012 NEA ESP Conference. Nominee's must complete the verifi-
cation form (www.nea.org/assets/docs/ Top_Ten_Verification_form.pdf) and have it signed by the state executive director and the state president. Verification forms must be received by December 16, 2011. Download contest guidelines at www.nea.org/assets/docs/ Contest_Guidelines.pdf. ✒
