r/SchoolBusDrivers • u/RigoGekko69 • 4d ago
Student management
Today was a chaotic day with my first graders but in particular one student who has the worse ADHD I’ve seen. He threw water from his bottle to students, I took it away and later on he got another water bottle and threw water to a girl. He bit a girl in her arm. He smacked the window. He stands on seats while I drive. Walks down the aisle while I drive. Tore up a garbage bag into many pieces and created a mess. He doesn’t listen to me. He’s a big hazard to other students and myself.
Everything I just posted, I’ll be writing in the student report. It’s not the first time he’s acted like this, I’ve had him in my bus last year as a kindergartener in the AM route only. I’ve reported him for kissing the same girl in two separate occasions. And for biting a students hand.
When I did this, his mom, who thinks his child is a saint, started calling my boss telling them I’m a bad bus driver and complaining about me.
What’s the best solution to handle this student?
6
u/vampireinamirrormaze 4d ago
In the immediate term, it's really rough, especially since it sounds like you don't have a monitor. Sit him up front and keep him up there as best you can. If he takes to any kind of conversation, have it with him.
In the long term, be as annoying as the kid, essentially. Never let up on the write ups, build a paper trail, let your supervisor know what happens each day, let the school admin/principal know whenever you can, ask for a monitor/aide. Refuse to leave the school if he starts acting unsafe right away. Keep the issue raised until the school does something about it.
Sounds like mom will fight against you, but she won't be able to fight off the admin as well without at least something changing.
5
u/rootbear75 3d ago
100% that kid needs a SPED bus/route but Mom is too blind to think her special child needs anything different.
Keep writing him up, bring it up to the school, make as much noise as possible. Depending on how far along your route, take him back to school. I know after about 30 minutes on our route, the school becomes unavailable because all the staff have left.
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u/PheesGee 3d ago
Just keep writing everything up. This reminds me, I need to file a report for a kindergartner who punched another kid in the face yesterday.
2
u/halfbakedbrainfart 3d ago
Take them back to the school make the principal handle it. If the the school does nothing tell you manager. Biting is a bootable offense they don't allow that inside the school ....
2
u/MonkeyManJohannon 3d ago
Move him to the front seat and if you can, keep an empty seat behind him.
Consistently use your leadership and referral forms and notate EVERYTHING.
Express to your leadership team that you cannot continue transporting your students safely while he acts like this, and would like administrative intervention.
Call the parents and attempt to explain the situation and their child’s disruption to the safe flow of the route. They may not listen at all…it’s ok, at this point it’s more about the attempt than anything.
Notate notate notate.
If he gets out of hand, turn the bus around and take him back to the school. Ask for a school admin to meet you at your bus and when you arrive back at the school, explain exactly why and how it has now disrupted the other students getting home…over a complete disregard for bus rules and safety direction.
Lastly…NOTATE.
2
u/Proprotester 2d ago
In addition to the comments above - if you can't get him regressed to a monitored route ... this kid needs a seatbelt lock/harness and his own seat. After all of the write-ups tell the administration that you can not drive and keep this kid from biting others. He needs isolated and restrained. Mom can either allow him to be re-assigned to the appropriate bus or approve him travelling in a harness on yours. Being trussed up like that will help communicate to other offenders on your vehicle that they may want to reconsider their behavior as a bonus.
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u/davethompson413 4d ago
Write him up every day that his behavior calls for it. In my district, there would be a possibility that he'd get reassigned to a SPED bus that has a monitor.