JCPS working with bus compounds to help students who don't have a route

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky's largest school district hopes the transportation issues that shut it down for a week are fixed.

Jefferson County Public Schools middle and elementary students returned to classrooms Friday.

While a lot of kids went back to school, some weren't able to. One of those students was first grader Arai Collins. Her family lives in south Louisville about 15-20 minutes from her school, Carter Traditional Elementary.

They rely on buses to take their kids to and from school. She has a route assigned for the morning, but not for the afternoon.

"She wasn't too happy, not very happy," Arai's mother, Berkley Collins, said. "She wanted to go."

Her mother has repeatedly called the bus hotline, called the school and checked the Bus Finder. She has left messages with people along the way, but as of Friday morning, still does not have an afternoon route.

JCPS officials said they are "prioritizing students who are riding the bus but don’t have one or both stops." A spokesperson told WDRB News that schools and bus compounds are working quickly through the issues.

But until Arai is assigned an afternoon bus route, her mother said she won't be in school.

"Right now we only have one working car, and me and my husband work off schedules so by the time he's off work, I'm the only one here and I do work from home but I don't have a working vehicle," Berkley Collins said.

She said her other daughter's bus was on time Friday morning for middle school, and has her fingers crossed for the return trip home.

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