Murphy – Last Friday marked the second anniversary since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020.
Among the many elements of society disrupted by the virus, the effect on students in grades K-12 has been one of the easiest to quantify. Drops in standardized test scores have made it clear that the reduction of time spent in classrooms created learning gaps that will likely take educators years to close.
However, even as teachers work on ways to make up for lost face-to-face learning time, simply getting students to the classroom remains an ongoing problem due to a lack of bus drivers.
School bus driver shortages have been a nationwide problem over the past two years, with rural areas hit especially hard.
“We have a serious bus driver shortage that began with COVID,” Cherokee County Schools Superintendent Jeana Conley said. “A lot of our bus drivers, it’s a second career for them.
“They were at risk for COVID and we lost a whole handful at once, and the Murphy schools have been more affected than anybody. In the Murphy area schools, we’re parking at least one bus every day, if not two.”
A report by NBC Connecticut cited statistics showing that more than half of the 2,800 bus drivers in a recent sample were at least 55 years old. The data was compiled by Automatic Data Processing – one of the world’s largest payroll processing companies.
Conley said she believes those age demographics contributed to some drivers’ decisions to quit in the wake of the virus. Cherokee County utilizes 35 active buses to transport about 1,000 riders to and from its 13 schools each day.
Conley said the school system tries to redirect students onto other buses when possible and puts out notifications that a bus will be running a route late. By that time, though, many parents have already found an alternative way to get their children to school.
In some cases, students on a certain route may be forced into remote learning for the day.
“We have the ability to let the students be remote due to the Chromebooks, but it’s still not ideal,” Conley said.
Keeping the exceptional children buses running has been one of the most challenging tasks. In addition to requiring a driver who will operate the wheelchair lift, those buses also require an individual to serve as a monitor. Cherokee County Schools uses two EC buses to service the county.
“Specifically, we’re struggling to find a regular person for the EC bus,” Conley said. “It’s unique because we not only have to have a driver, but we also have to have a monitor.
“If the monitor is quarantined or has COVID or something and we can’t find a substitute for them, then they’re parked that day, too. More factors have to roll together for that one.”
A school bus driver must have a Commercial Driver License with an “S” endorsement that denotes a written knowledge test and a CDL skills test in a school bus. Conley said the process to become a school bus driver typically takes about six months.
In February, the N.C. Department of Health & Human Services announced that it no longer recommended individual contract tracing for COVID-19 in K-12 schools. Conley hopes that change will result in fewer driver shortages. Similarly, the U.S. Center for Disease Control & Prevention ended its face mask requirement for individuals on school buses as of Feb. 28.
“I’m grateful that we’ve been able to have school five days a week, but COVID and the policies surrounding it have continued to compromise our ability to serve the kids,” Conley said.
“Hopefully, we can get back to some sense of normalcy.”
Conley said anyone interested in becoming a school bus driver should call Justin Clapsaddle, director of Transportation, at
837-2722.