MIDDLEBURG, Fla. — Bus driver shortages are an issue school districts all over the country are experiencing. In Clay County, it’s no different.
Some parents say school buses rarely come on time, if they come at all.
Catching the bus isn’t a certain thing for Nathan and Sabrina’s two children.
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“It seems like the buses are having to do double routes, which means they may come extra early where the kids miss it or up to 45 minutes late,” Sabrina said.
On some occasions, they never make it to school that day at all.
“There was a whole week where there was no transportation,” Sabrina said.
Their kids go to Middleburg High and Wilkinson Junior High, but this problem is much bigger.
We found several Facebook posts from schools letting parents know buses would arrive home late, drivers would double up on routes, or some buses wouldn’t show at all.
Most recently, Bannerman Learning Center canceled Middleburg and Keystone buses for four days straight. The district cited staffing shortages.
For Shance McGuffey, his own disability makes it hard for him to drive his kids or even watch them at home when the bus doesn’t show up.
“Half of the time I can hardly move because of my back,” McGuffey said.
He said his kids’ buses haven’t shown up at least a half dozen times.
“My kids have missed more school this year than all of last year combined,” McGuffey said.
Living off a dirt road, he said his neighborhood doesn’t get good internet. So when his kids have to stay home, they miss out on learning.
“For them to even try homeschool or anything like that, it wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t be feasible for them,” McGuffey said.
It’s the same way for others.
“It’s very rural and a big chunk of Clay Hill has only satellite internet which is hit and miss,” Sabrina said.
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Clay County District Schools sent us the following statement when we asked about bus driver shortages and route changes/cancellations:
“Bus routes to Bannerman Learning Center from two of our schools were interrupted last week due to staffing shortages. Clay County District Schools notified parents immediately about each disruption. There have not been any issues with those routes this week. The district is three drivers short of its staffing goal, and the staff works daily to recruit and hire new employees. Unfortunately, driver shortages are a common thread across the nation, and there are multiple mitigation plans in place to combat that in Clay County. Those include combined routes if spacing allows and utilizing qualified transportation staff if necessary. The district works hard to ensure all students who need transportation to school have that opportunity.”
The district also said the staffing goal for bus drivers is 184 allocated positions.
Although parents are frustrated, they said they appreciate the drivers’ hard work.
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