The
bus driver shortage that swept the nation has the Hudson Valley scrambling to
figure out how to get students to school.
In
New York’s fourth largest school district, Yonkers public schools, more
than 11,000 out of the of the district’s 27,000 students need a bus.
As of Wednesday, school officials say all routes are covered. They've been working with the district's seven bus companies and officials praised the bus companies for their efforts in picking kids up.
Some parents say their
kids have waited up to two hours for pickup, while others had to miss school
days because there’s no ride.
The
problem is not every parent has access to a car, time off from work to drive
their kids to school, or extra cash to dole out on Ubers.
The school bus driver
shortage can be an issue for many families, but for those that have
children with disabilities, it can be potentially dangerous.
One Yonkers parent,
whose 15-year-old daughter has had a developmental disability since birth, says
her daughter hasn’t been to school in two weeks because there hasn’t been a bus
to bring her, and there’s no remote learning
option.
And for other children,
no school can lead to hunger. “I have some family suffering from
food insecurity and told me I had to get my child to school for breakfast,”
says parent and advocate Nnenna Akoma-Ononaji.
At
Tuesday’s school board meeting, School Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada said the shortage has created
significant issues and that he’s working with all seven bus companies to try to
come up with a solution. As of Monday evening, 60 children are without a bus route.
The Yonkers School
District says it's on the bus companies to recruit more drivers, but it's
unclear how long that will take. If any busing problems persist contact the Yonkers Council of PTA at cgoodstein@ycpta.com or Yonkers Public Schools directly.
Yonkers
Schools are not open today for the Yom Kippur holiday.