RPS 205 Says All Bus Riding Students Will Be Affected By Bus Driver Shortage
Full disclosure, I got a text from RPS 205 yesterday that totally set me off. Here's what it said;
For the record, I am not mad at RPS 205 for the situation they are dealing with. They have tried tirelessly to hire the number of bus drivers needed, but people don't want to work. My kids aren't even attending school in Rockford this year, but I feel for all the parents who now have a whole scheduling mess to figure out.
How RPS 205's Bus Driver Shortage Will Affect Students in 2021/2022
If I'm reading the post that RPS 205 put on Facebook last night correctly, this bus driver shortage isn't just affecting a handful of bus riding students, but instead, ALL routes will be impacted during the 2021/2022 school year.
The affected bus routes will rotate among our schools, so once every two weeks, the same group of students will not receive a bus. This breaks down to be about two days each month that our students will need alternative transportation to and from school, because an RPS 205 bus driver is not available.
RPS 205's post goes on to say;
We hope that families work together with their school and community support systems to cover those days. Schools will provide extended drop-off and pick-up windows for families when regular busing won’t be provided.
I know being a bus driver is a tough gig, but PLEASE, if you need a job, consider applying to be an RPS 205 bus driver. This problem is an additional headache that the district, the parents, and the students shouldn't have to deal with right now.