Parents say kids missing school due to canceled bus routes; district says drivers hard to find

WEST MILTON — An area mother said she is upset with trying to get her kids to school after multiple bussing issues.

News Center 7 spoke with a Milton-Union parent who asked to only be identified as Lynn.

Lynn said the district has a bus diver shortage and if they are unable to find anyone to drive a bus that route gets canceled — leaving parents to find out how to get their kids to school themselves.

“We get a text message and a call from the school about 8 p.m. in the evening that states which busses they do not have drivers for,” Lynn said.

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She works full time and said she has no choice but to have her kids take the excused absence.

“It’s alarming. It’s concerning that kids are already delayed a little bit and I have children taking tests on information that they missed the lectures from not being in class,” she said.

By speaking up about the issue, she hopes the district will hire more bus drivers and that her kids will not have to miss school.

News Center 7′s Haley Kosik spoke to the superintendent on how the school district plans on fixing this problem.

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“They’re great employees. They believe very strongly in what they’re doing and want to get the kids here,” Brad Ritchey, superintendent of MIlton-Union Exempted Village Schools said.

But Ritchey said it is difficult to recruit and certify bus drivers.

“It seems ever since the pandemic, workers across the board have been difficult to find,” Ritchey said.

The Milton-Union district currently has 17 bus drivers and last week many of them called out sick, which caused bus routes to be canceled.

If a student can’t be picked up and they can’t find another ride, the school district gives them an excused absence — which some parents said they find concerning.

“There is work that we can provide to students remotely through some digital applications that we have that can allow some education into online while the students are home,” Ritchey said.

Superintendent Ritchey said they’re looking for drivers.

If you can’t be a bus driver full-time substitute drivers are also needed.

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