Plum School District says student busing no longer guaranteed

PLUM, Pa. — Like many districts nationwide, Plum Borough School District has not been immune to the pandemic-driven bus driver shortage.

“It’s been really tough on public education over these past two years,” said Superintendent Brendan Hyland.

Administrators sent a letter to parents Friday asking them to plan a way to get their kids to school just in case too many of the district’s 45 drivers are out sick and they’re unable to cover all 43 bus routes.

“We haven’t missed one run yet,” said Hyland. “The purpose of our communication was to be proactive.”

Parents will be notified as soon as a route gets canceled. The district hopes to do it the night before and guarantees it by 6:00 the morning of the cancellation.

If students are not able to get a ride to school, they will not be penalized.

“We’re not going to hold that against them from an attendance perspective, and also they have the access to their Google classroom, which the students are very familiar with how to use, and of course there’s no penalty in terms of making up work,” said Hyland.

The district plans to move drivers around, if needed, to ensure the same routes are not continuously impacted.

“We’re busting our tails to try to get your kids to school, but get them to school safely,” said Hyland. “We appreciate the patience they’ve had throughout this pandemic.”

The school district and transportation department are offering incentives to try to recruit new drivers.

The district is also encouraging current employees to get their commercial driver’s licenses so they can substitute as drivers, if necessary.

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