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| Dear Staff,
I am writing to inform you of an urgent staffing challenge in our Transportation Department. I will be sending a community-wide message in the next hour, but wanted our staff to have an opportunity to read and process this information first. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are experiencing a critical shortage of bus drivers. Our Trainer/Floater driver is now assigned to a regular route, and our Transportation Supervisor is covering when one driver is absent. If two drivers are out simultaneously, we will have no choice but to cancel trips or routes. Routes will be cancelled only when absolutely necessary, and cancellations will be distributed to avoid repeatedly impacting the same students. Field trips may not always be able to run as scheduled. We may not be able to approve as many field trips as we have in the past. When possible, we will accommodate them, but trips must depart after 9:30 AM and return to Libby Hill Campus by 1:00 PM. Extracurricular trips for clubs and athletics may also be impacted. We may need to ask families to provide transportation or use vans for smaller teams. We are continuing to partner with other school districts for driver support when available and are exploring contracts with private bus companies, though they are also experiencing driver shortages. We continue to recruit for bus drivers and I encourage you to do the same. We are working to consolidate routes, which will mean longer rides for some students but provide us more flexibility. We will also look to provide early drop off and late pick up for families impacted by route cancellations when we can. If you are interested in extra hours to provide before or after care for students affected by cancellations, please contact your principal or supervisor. I want to express my deep gratitude to our transportation staff, who are working tirelessly and going above and beyond to ensure our students get to school safely each day. Their dedication and flexibility during this challenging time is truly appreciated. I appreciate your patience and flexibility as we navigate this challenge. We are committed to maintaining safe and reliable transportation for our students while exploring every available solution. Sincerely, Dr. Chanda P. Turner, Superintendent |
