47% of public school students ride the school bus to and from school. Growing violence to students riding the bus concerns parents about the safety of their child on the local school bus system. School fights and violence seem to be spreading over from school day to the school bus. The rising number of students that have their own cell phone allows students to text message and call their friends to meet students at the bus stop and continue the violence even after exiting the school bus.

Without a Doubt Public School Buses Need Safer Standards!

440,000 public school buses each year serve more than 24 million students!

How do we help to solve the violence on our public school buses?

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1 out of 4 violent episodes are being perpetrated by teen girls, up from just a generation ago when it was 1 girl -10 boys. As can be seen, girl violence is increasing from 1-10 and now 1out of every 4 violent episodes involves girls carrying it out. According to the Justice Department, it is not just boys any longer, violence among girls is on the rise. Schools report a similar pattern in the number of girls suspended or expelled for fighting. Around the country schools, polices and teachers are seeing a growing tendency for girls to settle disputes with their fists. They are finding themselves breaking up playground fights in which girls are going at each other at an alarming rate.

Learn More http://www.keystosaferschools.com/girlviolence.htm

Oprah featured a bullying expert and professor at University of Illinois, Dr. Dorothy Espelage, on a recent Oprah show. Dr. Espelage says half of all bullying in middle and elementary schools involves the use of gay slurs.

The NC House Education Committee recommended that a bill that requires NC school districts to create bullying policies that, at minimum, identity characteristics of their most vulnerable students move forward to the House Judiciary Panel. Those who opposed the bill do not like special exceptions made for gay and lesbian classes.

Unfortunately, as the mothers of the two boys featured on Oprah would argue, death is a pretty unfortunate price to pay so that gays and lesbians do not get special exceptions.
See more at http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20090501-tows-school-bullying

This last year, in the most difficult year of my life, struggling against a seemingly unbearable injustice and cruelty, angry and sad, trying to decide to walk the path of healing or revenge, I came across a wonderful quote.

"Cry, hurt, or call it unfair, but be grateful to the grave, that in this hurt your the one who received, and not the one who gave."

Wonderful poem, hard lesson. How can we drive this message, of choosing forgiveness and love, choosing to "light a candle rather than cursing the darkness" home to our children? Children who can encounter so much injustice and cruelty, in the form of bullying, discrimination, intolerance, and ignorance, simply walking to and from school and back everyday. How I wish my grandparents would have done what these grandparents did for their grandson. Read enjoy this powerful parable for tough times! How are you driving home these important lessons in your own families? Let us know!
http://charactercounts.org/michael/2009/04/im_better_than_that_6164.html