The Sanford dad who stormed a school bus to defend his 12-old-daughter whom he was was being bullied on her school bus will address the school bus industry at its annual conference in Portland, Oregon.
The National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) today announced that James Jones will participate on November 1, in a panel discussion about bullying at their upcoming annual conference.
“We are pleased that Mr. Jones accepted our invitation to meet with our industry and look forward to his insights”, said NAPT Executive Director Michael Martin. “The incident involving his daughter captured national attention and we hope this experience can be channeled into a productive discussion about how we can prevent bullying and, when it occurs, deal with it more effectively.”
NAPT, the largest school bus industry group, believes that the yellow school bus is a critical link between the home and performance of children in the classroom. Access to school bus transportation helps ensure access to educational service and attainment. Bullying incidents on school buses or bus stops are detriments to a positive learning experience.
NAPT’s Parental Action Steps on Bullying is intended to give parents suggestions for how to get action promptly but responsibly.  Bullying incidents understandably trigger strong emotional responses from parents. NAPT urges parents to focus emotions into constructive action by first getting all the facts about the incident, collecting thoughts, and then being persistent in respectfully demanding a response.
1. Report the Incident Immediately to the School. Call the school and insist on speaking to the principal. Follow up as many times as necessary until you actually speak with the principal. Request that your child’s classroom teacher be notified about the incident, and ask an approximate date for when you should hear back. Provide the following information:
-Your name and contact numbers
-Your child’s name
-Date and location of the incident
-Detailed account of what happened — the facts as you know them
-Names of parties involved
-Names of witnesses who can collaborate
-Police contact and report number (if a police report was made)
2. Report the Incident to the School Bus Operator. Call the school district’s transportation department and ask to speak to the director or a supervisor. Tell them your child reported to you an incident of bullying on one of their buses and ask that the driver be interviewed to get the facts. Request that the findings be reported to the school principal, along with any videotape record from the bus (if there is one), with copies to you. If you would like to talk directly to the school bus driver, ask that the driver or his/her supervisor call you.
3. Involve Law Enforcement (if necessary). If the incident on the bus involved a threat of harm, or actual physical assault, contact local police immediately and fill out a complaint report, even before contacting the school principal. This will create a public record and the police will investigate the incident.
4. Schedule a Meeting with the Principal. If you don’t get action within a reasonable period (bullying is serious and response should be swift), ask for a personal meeting with the school principal to register your concern face to face and underscore your resolve. Ask for the following:
-Copy of the student handbook
-Copy of the school district’s bullying policies (if any)
-Copy of the school district’s discipline code (if one exists)
-An assessment of how the investigation is proceeding (timeline, etc.) and expected resolution.
5. Involve the School Superintendent (if necessary). If the principal’s response is unsatisfactory and/or not prompt, request a meeting with the superintendent of schools for your school district. Bring along as many documented facts as possible, and request intervention.
For more information on bullying, go to www.naptonline.org.
