The rolling hotspot? Perceptions of behavioral problems on school buses among a nationally representative sample of transportation officials

Abstract

This study presents results from a nationally representative survey of school district transportation officials (N = 2,595) to understand how common seven types of behavioral problems (fighting, bullying, substance use, sexual harassment, sexual behaviors, profanity, violations of basic rules) are perceived to be on school buses. Ordinary least-squares regression is used to examine respondent- and district-level predictors of behavioral problems. Results indicate that violations of basic rules (e.g., moving seats), profanity, and bullying are perceived to be the most common problems on the nation’s buses. Several respondent (e.g., sex, race, title) and district characteristics (e.g., percentage of special education students) are statistically associated with perceptions of misconduct, number of disciplinary reports filed in the previous school year, or the frequency with which reports were filed. Implications of findings are discussed.