Marion schools: 67 new COVID-19 cases amid bus driver shortage
Marion County Public Schools, which recorded 67 new COVID-19 cases this past week, is fighting through a bus driver shortage that has been exacerbated by the pandemic.
School district spokesman Kevin Christian said the district has 270 bus drivers. Before the pandemic, the district has been experiencing about 10 percent absences on any given day.
But I’d say that’s double now thanks to COVID-19 cases and direct contacts, Christian said. As a result, some drivers double- and triple-up on routes, which creates delays in getting students to school and home.
Christian added that we always need bus drivers, not just now because of COVID.