School Bus Safety for Middle School Students

Continuing Safety Lessons from Elementary School

From the time they began preschool, students have been taught and re-taught school bus safety. Why, then, is it necessary to continue teaching bus safety to middle school students?

As students enter middle school, they likely change to a new building and new bus route system. These changes necessitate a refresher course in bus safety, but middle school students also face new challenges with the school bus. For the first time, there may be multiple buses available at the school, and many students will either walk or ride a bike instead of take the bus. Therefore, they need to learn new bus safety procedures for how to behave near a school bus even if they aren’t riders. By including bus safety lessons in the middle grades, parents and teachers ensure that students can reach school safely, on time, and ready to learn.

Important Concepts for School Bus Safety for Middle School Students

The first safety lessons that middle school students should learn are actually reviews of their earlier bus safety procedures. No matter how old students get, they still need to understand proper riding behavior, how to get on and off the bus, and what other appropriate safety precautions are. At the middle school level, however, only brief reminders of these basic concepts should be necessary. Students who have not needed to ride the bus previously, however, may need a few extra pointers on proper bus behavior, and all students can benefit from detailed safety instruction.

Around the Bus

Knowing how to behave when near school buses is critical for students’ safety. Concepts to be discussed during these lessons should include:

• How and where to properly wait for the bus.
• Finding the right bus number and what to do if the proper bus has already left.
• How to move through the bus loading zone when walking or riding a bike.
• How to behave at a neighborhood bus stop.
• How to manage time so being late to the bus is not a concern.

On the Bus

Students’ behavior on the bus should always be safe and courteous. Several concepts should be emphasized in bus riding behavior lessons, such as:

• Keeping the proper noise level.
• How to speak to the driver in case of problems.
• Keeping the bus clean.
• Where to sit when the bus is crowded.
• What is required to change buses if going home with a friend.

School Bus Bullying

Middle school students are often subjected to school bus bullying, behavior which can be dangerous both for the students involved as well as everyone riding the bus. Bullying concepts that lessons on school bus safety for middle school students should cover include:

• How to recognize the signs of bullying.
• Where to sit and how to behave to avoid bullying.
• What to do if bullied, including speaking to adults.
• How to help keep bullying off the bus.

School Bus Safety Assignment Ideas

There are many ways that school bus safety concepts can be taught in middle school. Popular assignment ideas include:

• Poster drawing contests
• Writing safety plays to be performed for younger students
• Taking brief tours of the bus zone
• Creating children’s safety books for younger students
• Acting out safe and unsafe procedures
• Trivia contests about bus safety concepts
• Worksheets and quizzes about safety procedures

Dealing with Safety Violations

Elementary school students may be sufficiently chastised with a few harsh words, but middle school students who engage in unsafe bus behavior may need harsher disciplinary measures to enforce the necessity for safe buses. Students who consistently behave poorly on the bus may have their seat assigned, be required to have their parents ride with them, or may lose their bus riding privileges altogether. Exact disciplinary measures vary between public and private schools as well as grade level, and concerned parents should contact their child’s school for details on bus safety and discipline.

Final Note

School bus safety for middle school students is essential to help students arrive at and depart from school without fear of missing their bus, being in an accident, or being bullied while riding. A safe bus, after all, leads to a safe school where students will be willing and eager to learn.