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The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
A shortage of school bus drivers is creating a string of ongoing problems for Tennessee schools.
School districts across the state are struggling to find enough drivers to transport children to and from school. School closures during the pandemic forced many bus drivers to find other employment as there were no busses to drive at that time.
That shift in employment has left schools scrambling to find enough workers to cover those positions.
Sean Braisted, spokesperson for Metro Nashville Public schools, says the school district is short 72 drivers, and they are not the only system affected. Jackson-Madison County Schools report that they are down 27 drivers, and Dickson County has openings for 6. In East Tennessee, nearly half the schools are in need of drivers. These numbers also do not take into account the fact that bus drivers may call in sick each day.
“The shortage of bus drivers here at MNPS and at districts around the state and country continues to present a challenge in meeting the transportation needs of our students,” Braisted said.
That number puts a major strain on the system and on other bus drivers who are forced to work extra to get kids to school. Bus drivers are being made to take on earlier routes and drive even later. Students are being picked up late or are getting home late because their regular bus drivers are not able to get them until they complete one of those substitute routes.
According to Melissa Garton, transportation coordinator for Dickson County, they have been forced to use bus mechanics as daily bus drivers.
Drivers say that the pandemic is not the only thing causing the current shortage. They also say that a lack of adequate pay, discipline issues with students who do not behave, and a lack of support from school administration also plays a role in the decreasing numbers.
Many bus drivers worry about the negative effect this has on the students.
One driver from MNPS said, “I’m so late sometimes that my babies are missing the beginning of school. They’re missing the pledge of allegiance. They’re missing breakfast.”
Some students end up missing school because they go home before the bus drivers arrive if they are running late, leaving them absent from much needed class time.
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Having to drive alternate routes also makes it harder for drivers to handle the kids, as they are picking up children who they do not know. One bus driver noted that students treat unfamiliar bus drivers like a substitute teacher, often failing to give them the respect that is deserved.
“We have students throwing objects, students fighting, students cussing bus drivers. These students are driving the drivers away,” she said.
Another driver noted that he stopped writing disciplinary referrals for those students because he felt that school administrators were not taking them seriously or were ignoring them altogether.
“That’s why morale is so down in the dumps,” he stated.
Parents are also upset in some districts because they are forced to find an alternate way to get their kids to school, often only after the bus fails to arrive on time. When that supposedly guaranteed ride does not show up, parents scramble to get their kids to school, and schools are counting those students tardy if they arrive late.
MNPS says they notify parents in advance if there is going to be a delay, but many parents say they never get those messages.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Directory for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
