Bus driver shortage leads to long waits, frustrated parents in one Midlands district
Parents in Pelion have been warned about bus delays caused by a shortage of drivers.
An email from Lexington 1 School District went out to parents this week warning them to expect later than normal morning pickups for Forts Pond Elementary and Pelion elementary, middle and high schools, as well as delayed drop offs in the afternoon. Parents are encouraged to drive students to and from school themselves when possible.
Currently, about a third of 23 bus drivers on the Pelion route are out. The district blamed the delays on an overall shortage of bus drivers in the district, and said the shortage will hopefully be corrected after the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
“We’re always looking for more drivers,” said district spokesperson Mary Beth Hill. “It’s such a big rural area that a lot of the drivers run the same routes picking up elementary students and then middle and high school.”
The district has had a shortage of drivers since schools reopened Aug. 31 from the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, with students going to campus on a two-day-a-week schedule. According to Lexington 1’s own tracking tool, seven employees among the district office staff, which includes bus drivers, have tested positive for the virus, and 10 others have been quarantined with possible symptoms or after being exposed to the virus.
The district has begun to welcome more students back for on-campus instruction since October. Currently students up through middle school are attending school in-person four days a week, and high school students may soon shift to the same schedule, district officials say.
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