LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- When Jefferson County Public Schools returns kids to class Friday, there's no expectation that the transportation system in the morning and afternoon will suddenly run smoothly.

Superintendent Marty Pollio admitted as much earlier this week.

"We're working in the same system, but it's going to be much more efficient, and our communication will be much better with families and schools," he said Friday. "We want to make sure we get that right before we put kids back on a school bus again."

One bus driver said it's a complex issue, and it'll take a community effort to get things on track.

"When parents walk their kid or drive their kid to the bus stop, show them around," said Elizabeth Foushee, who drives a district bus. "Be like, 'Hey, this is our street. This is how we get here. Can you show me how to get here?' It's great. It empowers them."

Students began the new school year Wednesday, Aug. 9, but the first day was plagued with bus delays in the morning and the afternoon as the district had implemented new school start times and bus routes. Some students' buses never showed up that morning, and others didn't get dropped off from school that evening until almost 10 p.m.

In the meantime, drivers have been continuing to practice their routes. Foushee said she's had more bus stops added to her route as the system gets tweaked. But an overall goal for the district is taking away some stops from drivers with the longest routes.

The district plans to roll out a "staggered" return to school, with elementary and middle school students returning Friday, Aug. 18, and all high school students returning Monday, Aug. 21.

Pollio said during a news conference Monday, Aug. 14, that the weekend will allow the district to make any needed adjustments.

JCPS also shared in Monday's letter some short-term adjustments they're making to its transportation plan, which can be read below:

  • We will implement technology allowing parents and schools to know where a student's bus is during the ride to and from school. We will provide families with instructions on how to use this technology soon.
  • We will have JCPS vans and drivers available to take elementary students home or back to school when they don't have an adult waiting at a stop. This will allow drivers to continue their routes without returning to the original school.
  • We will provide an extra bus or van at depots to take students home when/if they arrive late to the depot so all other depot buses can continue their routes without waiting for one or two final buses to arrive.
  • There will be an additional JCPS staff member with a cell phone and GPS on buses with the longest, most challenging routes to help with directions and communicate with schools and bus compounds when a bus runs excessively late.
  • We will reduce the length of routes with lots of stops, starting with afternoon runs.
  • All elementary and middle school families who need Special Needs Transportation will receive a phone call by Wednesday evening with their transportation information.

The hope is to have the system in place by Friday, but Pollio said it could take longer.

"We're moving that as quickly as we possibly can but at the absolute latest that's going to be early next week that parents will have accessibility to that application on their smart phones to know exactly where their child's bus is," he said.

Parents will be able to load the app on their phone by registering through a link the district will provide. They will be able to upload their child's bus information to know exactly where they are and set notifications.

Pollio said one of the main issues he wanted to solve is parents not knowing where their children are.

"That is unfair to parents of this community," he said. "That is being corrected."

The district is still working on long-term solutions to implement, such as revamping the bus routes and giving driver's a GPS system they can operate themselves.

In Monday's news conference, Pollio also warned about some conflicts with current laws regarding bus drivers and screens. John Stovall, president of the bus drivers' union, Teamsters Local 783, said Pollio was likely referencing the district's transportation manual that says bus drivers can not use electronic devices that would divert a driver's attention.

WDRB News asked for clarification on what law exactly Pollio was referencing that could possibly hinder drivers from using GPS, JCPS Spokesperson Carolyn Callahan replied with the Kentucky Department of Education's bus guidelines that reference tablets can be used for GPS as long as they go dark when the bus is in motion.

The exact wording is as follows:

"Tablet devices may be installed on Kentucky school buses as a part of routing, GPS and pre-trip systems. These systems shall have the ability to go dark and silent when the vehicle is in motion. The tablet shall be removable and be firmly secured in place when in its mount. The tablet shall be mounted in a safe location that does not interfere with the driver’s view of the roadway, mirrors or component controls."

Chris Perkins, JCPS Chief Operations Officer, said during Tuesday's meeting drivers were in unfamiliar areas, which created anxiety for them while driving on the routes.

"Our routes were printed on paper with turn-by-turn direction for our drivers and often they make their own notes on those, they carry those with them," Perkins said. "That's a pretty antiquated system for our drivers to know where they are going."

Perkins said the school district is looking into navigation mechanisms that tell audible directions to drivers.

But all in all, Stovall said the district never pointed the finger at the drivers, and long-awaited changes are happening.

He said it's always more clear what cause the problems after the fact, but, at least now for the transportation department, there's a few more days to implement any tweaks and updates in the system.

"We got everybody at the table now," Stovall said. "Everyone's working together and they're listening. So that's the one good thing came out of it."

Foushee said she knows it's been a lot on everyone but said she's appreciative of the district taking responsibility and working to make things better.

"I think it's definitely something we can build on and just take a deep breath and practice our routes for couple days and give them all big smiles on Friday when we pick them up," she said.

Related Stories:

Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.