Student Transportation Inc. and its employees are showing their support of National Bullying Prevention Month with a company-wide “Bullying STOPS Here” campaign.
STI is North America’s third-largest provider of school bus transportation services.
The company and its subsidiaries in the United States and Canada will conduct awareness-raising events and activities throughout the month of October. Company bus drivers across North America kicked off the month by wearing blue shirts to show solidarity against bullying.
Other activities this month will include poster contests in conjunction with local schools and the display of STI “Bullying STOPS Here” posters in company buses, terminals and schools. In other locations, employees will design t-shirts with anti-bullying messages and host community events to promote kindness. All locations will conduct special training sessions to promote awareness and continue to educate drivers and other employees about how to prevent bullying on the school bus.
“The first step in education is the first step on the school bus,” said Nicholas Pizzo, director of organizational development at Student Transportation Inc. “We transport more than 700,000 students to school each day, and our efforts to maintain a safe and calm environment on the school bus sets the stage for a positive learning experience throughout the day. Doing everything possible to ensure the safety and well-being of passengers and drivers is part of our unique safety culture.”
Continuing education is a high priority at STI, which created Student Transportation University (STU) to provide in-depth distance learning and training programs that include tips to establish a “positive bus environment” to help mitigate bullying on company buses.
Drivers are trained to interact with their passengers and build trust; drivers and school bus aides encourage students to be good citizens while also supporting each school districts’ rules and behavior expectations.
“Making our distance learning modules available to everyone in our STI family provides additional perspective and support to our local leadership teams and our drivers,” added Pizzo. “Our learning modules on bullying awareness and prevention provide strategies for drivers like encouraging passengers to help create a healthy environment on our buses. This sends a message to our parents and communities that we truly care about the safety and security of their children.”
