Student Management and Discipline
The Student Management and Discipline domain tests your legal and practical limits: you are responsible for order, but you are not the judge, jury, and punisher.
Authority and limits
Establish rules at the start: remain seated, quiet voices, no eating, no bullying. Use assigned seating, positive reinforcement, and private warnings. Corporal punishment is prohibited. Do not physically force a student except to prevent imminent harm. Never put a student off the bus except at school or a designated stop, and only per district policy.
De-escalation
Pull over safely, secure the bus, and speak calmly. Use the radio to request an administrator or dispatcher. Document incidents with times, names, and witnesses. Report bullying and threats.
Serious misconduct
Fighting, weapons, or threats require stopping the bus, calling 911 if needed, and following the emergency plan. Do not continue driving while students are unsafe.
Worked example: Two students fight. The driver stops, sets the brake, turns on hazard lights, radios dispatch, and separates students verbally only if safe; the driver does not drive on. Reasoning: driving while restraining or arguing is unsafe; administrators handle discipline.
Traps: arguing with a student; making threats; using unauthorized punishment; ignoring bullying; trying to handle a fight while driving.