The Peaceful School Bus Program takes a proactive, positive approach to addressing school bus problems. The program assumes that the main responsibility of adults is to teach and model for students appropriate school bus behavior and to organize activities so students build stronger relationships with others in their bus route group. This, in turn, instills in students a sense of responsibility for the social climate and what happens on the bus, when school staff members are not there. The program accomplishes these tasks by implementing the following program components:

• A Peaceful School Bus Program committee is established to coordinate schoolwide implementation of the program and to lead the individual bus route group activities.
   
• All school personnel involved in the program participate in a staff training.
  
• Parents are informed about the program through a parent letter and personal contacts from classroom teachers and bus route group leaders.
  
• Students in each bus route group meet together in the school building to build a sense of group cohesion and identity. Each bus route group meeting lasts approximately forty-five minutes.
  
• Typically at least three bus route group meetings are held throughout the school year. Each school can determine when or how often they happen.
  
• A team of teachers and teaching assistants lead each bus route group meeting. One teacher is designated as a team leader. This person is most likely a member of the Peaceful School Bus Program committee.
  
• School bus transportation administrators and individual bus drivers are invited to participate in the program, some by serving on the committee and all by attending the bus route group meetings. Additional check-in meetings are also held with all of the bus drivers and school personnel on a regular basis.
  
• The program is repeated every year and becomes part of a school's regular routine, similar to fire drills or other annual safety requirements.
  
• Processes are put in place to facilitate the reporting of bullying or other negative behaviors on the school bus by students or their parents. Parents and students learn that if they report a problem, school staff members will respond in a proactive, consistent manner.