Duval schools said ‘widespread delays’ expected for students who ride the bus

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Duval County Public Schools shared on Friday afternoon that “widespread delays” are expected “due to an abnormally high number of driver absences.”

DCPS said that most schools are impacted, except for schools in the Mandarin and Southside areas.

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Students “will be held at school in a safe, supervised place” until their bus arrives, the district said in a message to families.

Parents can track their child’s bus at www.duvalschools.org/busdelays. Those who prefer to pick their child up can do so by contacting their school’s office.

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Here is the full message that DCPS shared:

“Families,

“This message is only for those of you who are relying on bus transportation to bring your children home from school today.

“We are expecting widespread delays this afternoon due to an abnormally high number of driver absences today. This may impact your school and your child.

“No matter how late your bus may be, your child will be held at school in a safe, supervised place until the bus arrives.

“You may check the bus delays web page at www.duvalschools.org/busdelays to see the status of your student’s bus. If you are able and you prefer to pick your child up today, you may do so following normal procedures. Please contact your school office to let them know if that is your intention.

“However, if you still need your child to ride the bus, know that our transportation providers are working to get them home safely and as quickly as possible, but that could be significantly later than normal.”

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Past issues with bus contractor

Action News Jax has learned from DCPS that the bus contractor having issues with driver absences on Friday is Student Transportation of America.

STA is one of three bus contractors that serve DCPS. This isn’t the first time that issues related to student transportation have arisen with STA.

In November, Action News Jax Investigates spoke to whistleblowers questioning STA’s safety practices.

In December, Action News Jax Investigator Emily Turner found STA was not meeting disability accommodations.

“Just understand that it’s not acceptable,” District Assistant Superintendent Paul Soares told Action News Jax Investigator Emily Turner in January of STA’s performance.

In April, there was a series of school bus fires involving STA. Action News Jax told you in August that school bus delays overall continued into the new school year for DCPS.

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