By Linda F. Bluth, Ed.D.

In preparation for writing this article I looked up the terms substitute and drivers in the American Heritage and Dictionary and Thesaurus. Substitute is defined as "one that takes the place of another" and driver was defined "as a person who operates a motor vehicle". In addition, substitute driver is defined in the 1995 National Standards for School Transportation as "A driver who is not assigned to a regular route, but is employed to provide immediate coverage when necessary due to driver absences or emergencies.

In my opinion, these definitions unequivocally describe one of the most challenging, underestimated, underpaid, unappreciated jobs in the student transportation industry. You may question how I reached this conclusion. Simply put, just think about driving a group of forty five non-disabled and disabled students down a road, fully aware that your back is to students you may have just seen for the first time. I think this says it all. Can you imagine any greater challenge in the school bus industry?

I talked with several different persons ages six to sixty about the kinds of behaviors substitute drivers may encounter. In all, I asked over thirty individuals the same question. "Did you, or anyone you know behave differently when there was a substitute bus driver?" Only one person (over age forty) responded no. This individual said that their behavior was no different because their parents were from the "old school", and if you got in trouble at school, you were in more trouble at home. This sounded like a substitute drivers dream.

I was surprised to learn that three different generations of bus riders described many similar occurrences of inappropriate behaviors. These behaviors are ranked by the frequency in which they were reported: (1) throwing paper, (2) spit balls, (3) standing up on the bus, (4) changing seats while the bus was moving, (5) opening and closing the windows, (6) yelling out the windows, and (7) bringing friends on the bus who were not eligible to ride. Additional behaviors were reported. One former high school student reported that behavior on the bus was generally-bad substitute or no substitute driver.

When I spoke with one student rider in an urban setting he reported that if there was a substitute driver there was smoking in the rear of the bus, and a little more physical activity among the sexes. I requested to be spared details. A few riders in a rural area added that there were more attempts to open the back door. I was shocked when students bragged about opening and jumping out of the rear door. One bold student asked me what I did when there was a substitute driver. I admitted to chewing gum and sitting in an unassigned seat. At least it was acknowledged that there were school buses when I went to high school. There were a few notable inappropriate behavior differences reported by male and female students. More specifically, spit balls was a male behavior, and bringing friends on the bus was a female behavior. Yelling, standing up, and changing seats had no sexual boundaries. Jumping out of the back door was only brought up by male students.

What was clear after speaking with current riders is that inappropriate bus behavior was an annoyance at the elementary grades, but escalated to be a safety concern among middle and secondary school students. I had a sense that some students who behaved for the regular driver, simply took advantage of the situation when there was a substitute driver. Many students openly expressed their displeasure about riders who misbehave, but stated they do nothing about it because of fear, peer pressure, and a lack of response from school administrators.

These following suggestions are offered as a means of support for substitute drivers.

1. Parents in school districts who have children that ride school buses should receive a brochure prior to the beginning of the school year that specifically discusses required school bus behavior and the consequences for inappropriate behavior.

school administrators can elect to meet a school bus driven by a substitute driver when it arrives at school and check with the driver to find out if there were any inappropriate behaviors. Problems should be handled prior to afternoon trips.

Substitute drivers should be fully familiar with the particular bus they are driving. It was recommended by one driver that all substitute drivers take out the vehicle they are going to use before it is driven for the first time with students on board. This individual further stressed the importance of being familiar with emergency evacuation procedures and special needs students.

Substitute drivers should know the bus route and the exact location of bus stops. This is common parent complaint.

Substitute drivers should know the names of the students they are transporting and who should and should not be on the bus.

Substitute drivers who are going to serve students with disabilities should be knowledgeable about the characteristics of the students they are transporting. Depending on the specific population served, if there is not a bus monitor assigned to the bus it is recommended that both a substitute driver and a monitor be assigned as a team.

The following incident may shed some light regarding the complexity of transporting students with special needs and the value of substitute driver training. A middle school (special education) student with physical, cognitive, and judgement limitations was mainstreamed on the school bus and transported daily with non-disabled peers to their neighborhood school. Problems were managed by the regular bus driver who had received intense training by the special education department. One day, unknown to the student and parents, a substitute driver arrived about ten minutes late. The student said in a challenging tone, "You're late." The driver unaware of the student's special needs responded back in a manner that reflected a lack of appreciation for the student's comment. What happened next was a series of verbal exchanges. The situation escalated to an unfortunate event that may have been avoided if there had been appropriate training. Increasing numbers of students with special needs are attending neighborhood schools and riding on buses with non-disabled peers. Substitute drivers are in need of training which is often reserved for drivers of special education students and/or regular drivers.

In conclusion, with the challenges faced by many substitute drivers it is essential to maximize every opportunity for success by providing a training program that reinforces safety and administrative support. When I asked a retired driver, who substitutes on occasion, "What is the best support you could possibly receive as a substitute driver? She responded "One of those black video boxes that tapes student behaviors". A worthy consideration for school districts that face substitute driver shortages.

I was reminded by a friend that all of the inappropriate behaviors mention which are faced by substitute drivers are also faced by regular drivers; the only differences being frequency of inappropriate behaviors, driver training, and in some instances better support from school administrators.

When a kindergarten child was asked what should happen if they misbehave on the bus he answered, "if I misbehave, make my mommy and daddy ride on the bus." Leave it to a kindergarten child to provide wholesome advice.

Dr. Linda F. Bluth is the branch chief of Community Interagency Services with the Maryland Department of Education's Division of Special Education. She is a nationally recognized expert on special needs transportation. can be reached at Lbluth@aol.com.

Source: Reprinted from School Transportation News, November 1998. All rights reserved.