The 2021-2022 school year is underway.
With students at all grade levels back in class 5 days a week, after last year’s hybrid approach to school where not as many students had busing needs, the need for busing is now almost back to the pre-pandemic level.
This year, the City of Batavia School District has 898 students who require a bus for transportation to school each day. Pre-pandemic, the school district used 20 busses to transport about 1100 students to school. This school year, only 14 buses are available to transport the 898 students.
According to Business Administrator Scott Rozanski, the District has a contract with Student Transportation of America for busing services. Because the district is short about 4 buses, the students are sitting three to a seat and each bus is at capacity.
“Right now we are getting full and we are at capacity for bus transportation,” says Rozanski.
The issue of the crowded busses was brought up during conversations on a social media page this past week and parents are concerned about the lack of social distancing, mixing students from two schools and mask breaks that were implemented by the school district during warm weather due to the extended time on the bus for many of the elementary students at Jackson and John Kennedy Schools.
With COVID-19 still very prevalent in the community, many parents are upset by the long, crowded bus rides.
Parent Kassandra Starr Bowen says she is concerned about her 5 year old daughter.
“I just don’t get why my daughter has to wear a mask in school with 3-6 feet distance, but not on the bus,” Bowen says.
Bowen is concerned about an outbreak of COVID-19 after the close contact during the long ride on the bus and the taking off of masks during mask breaks. The district has advised the bus drivers to allow students to take mask breaks on hot days to avoid students getting overheated on the bus. Windows in the bus are also opened, weather permitting.
“I don’t agree with stacking them up like that, I understand there is nothing I can do, or they can do to fix it with a shortage of drivers, I just don’t think its right.”
According to Interim Superintendent Scott Bischoping, the district would prefer to have enough buses to have separate bus runs for each school, along with fewer students on each bus, but the transportation contractor has been unable to provide the needed buses due to the nationwide bus shortage.
The district ideally would like 4 more busses.
Bischoping mentioned that some schools are using a staggered start time since buses are limited, but students would not be able to attend school for a full day like they are currently. He says their goal is to keep students in school a full day, five days a week.
The district is continuing to work with their transportation contractor Student Transportation of America, according to Bischoping. They are looking to increase the number of buses available to service Batavia City Schools and are looking into possibly using subcontractors.
A call into Student Transportation of America on Thursday in regard to the lack of busses supplied to Batavia City Schools was not returned. A supervisor who answered at the Alexander location said they would find someone to answer questions about the bus shortage issue. At their Alexander location, Student Transportation of America lists job openings for a bus driver and a bus monitor.