Jade Ramsey's daughter was already nervous to transition into middle school this school year. It hasn't helped that the school bus has been hours behind schedule.
"Instead of just worrying about finding her classes, meeting teachers and making friends," Ramsey told Knox News, "she’s also having to wonder whether her bus is going to show up and when she’s going to get home."
The Ramsey family lives in Karns − a large neighborhood in northwest Knox County − and has experienced bus disruptions starting with Knox County Schools' first day Aug. 10. Despite a noon dismissal on the first day, her daughter was still at school after 2 p.m. And on Aug. 11, when students got out at 3:30 p.m., she was on campus until almost 5 p.m.
"I completely understand
there are going to be some hiccups during the first week of school, but hours-long delays are beyond what I would consider normal back-to-school issues," Ramsey said.
The family not alone. KCS started the school year short six buses and approximately 10 drivers.
Families across Knox County experiencing bus delays
Several of the district's 357 bus routes are consistently running between 10 and 45 minutes late this week, according to the KCS daily bus report. A few have been longer, especially in Karns.
On Aug. 13, the longest delays were 30 to 40 minutes for Hardin Valley Middle, Hardin Valley Academy, Holston Middle and Karns High.
"(My daughter) missed her first period twice now because of the bus delays," Karns parent Lauren Boromei told Knox News. "She has waited for over two hours for her bus to pick her up in the morning and luckily she is not at the bus stop alone as I have to go to work."
Some students in South Knoxville and South Knox County weren't able to get on the bus at all Aug. 12 and 13, when a large rainstorm swept through. KCS says in the daily bus report it "cannot service" Burnett Creek, Fordtown Road and Sevierville Pike.
"The inclement weather on Tuesday evening brought down trees and power lines. As a result, buses were unable to service those areas," KCS spokesperson Carly Harrington told Knox News. "County crews have since cleared the roads, and buses have been able to resume service."
Harrington said delays are normal during the first week of school due to "heavier traffic, new routes and schedules and adjustments for drivers, students and families as everyone settles into new routines." The delays aren't helped by the 10 driver vacancies.
KCS contracts with independent companies for its bus services.
How delays result in daily routine disruptions
Ramsey said the delays are unacceptable. She works full-time, and disruptions have "completely changed" their daily routine.
"I’m leaving work to pick her up and then coming back to work after I drop her off at home. I’m also taking her to school because I can’t have her standing outside for two hours wondering if or when a bus is going to show up."
When Ramsey gave up on the bus because it was so late, she dropped her daughter off herself, only to have her marked tardy at school.
"If I took my daughter to school after the normal drop-off window because her bus hadn't shown up, she would be counted tardy and it wouldn't be excused," Ramsey explained. "But if I left her standing there waiting on the bus, then the tardy would be excused."
Ramsey counted herself lucky because her boss was understanding. "Parents have jobs and responsibilities, and we planned around having school transportation that we thought we could depend on."
Boromei said the delays have resulted in excessively long days for her sixth grader.
"She is anxious in the morning about when the bus will get there and how long will she have to sit at school in the afternoon," Boromei said. "A 9.5-hour day (including waiting for buses) is a long day for an 11-year-old."
"I'm not expecting everything to run perfectly during the first week of school. I expect delays," Ramsey said. "There's a big difference between a first week hiccup and a system that isn't functioning the way families were told it would."
Stay in the know on bus delays
Knox County Schools has a daily bus report with delays and disruption updates. Families can also check the bus stop locator for current bus stops and times at busapp.knoxschools.org/livewqweb/webquery.
Caitlyn Meisner is the K-12 education reporter for Knox News. Email tips and story ideas to caitlyn.meisner@knoxnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Parents vent frustrations as Knox County Schools bus delays drag on
