LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Parents are angry at transportation issues that forced Jefferson County Public Schools to cancel classes the rest of the week.
WDRB has gotten hundreds of calls, emails and social media messages from families that waited for hours for their children to get home from a JCPS school on the first day.
Mother of two, Berkley Collins, told WDRB that her sixth grader rode the bus to school without a lot of problems, but the ride home was nearly two hours late.
Collins' younger daughter with special needs is in elementary school. Luckily, she called the school to check on her afternoon bus, which was never assigned. She was more surprised to get to the school and see cars lined up around the block and a cafeteria full of children waiting for transportation.
"It was insane. Um, I feel like we were one of the lucky ones. I'm actually glad that my daughter never got on a bus because she has special needs. She would have soiled herself. We don't know when she would have gotten home," Collins said.
Beau Kilpatrick has two daughters, Jacquelyn and Evelyn who are in the first and third grades at Jeffersontown Elementary. They didn't get off the bus until 9:15 p.m. That's nearly five hours later than expected.
The girls had been on the bus for hours.
Kilpatrick shared a cellphone video he captured, as the family waited at the dark bus stop. The bus finally arrived, and the crying girls ran to their parents.
"Oh, they were horrified. Whenever they got off the bus. They were screaming. They were crying. They were hungry," he said.
Kilpatrick said after lots of hugs he told them they could stay up late and have whatever they wanted for dinner. "They had yogurt and stringy cheese. And then they actually wanted to watch the news for the first time ever because they wanted to see what was going on with the buses. They heard about it all day long. So they wanted to sit there cuddled on the couch and watch the news."
With five children, Kilpatrick said the news on Thursday morning that school was canceled was met with shrugs from his three older boys, but the two girls were thankful. "They were scared. They didn't really want to get on the bus this morning."
While the family was waiting for the girls to get home Wednesday night, Kilpatrick said they bought Apple AirTags and put them in their backpacks before school was canceled. The tags are used to use to track GPS locations of luggage and other items. In this case, Kilpatrick hopes it can help keep track of his children.
“I grew up in JCPS and I push for it. I love public schools. This made me reconsider it for the first time ever,” Kilpatrick said. ”I value it. I love all the variety that comes to classrooms. And this was just, it was gut wrenching. It was heartbreaking.”
Thursday afternoon, the president of the union that represents bus drivers for Jefferson County Public Schools said he believes classes should be canceled through next week to help sort out the logistics. Kilpatrick agrees with what the union president said.
“I think that the union president should be the authority on the busing situation, and the board should listen to his recommendation. I would rather wait another week to ensure the safety of all the students. I know my family can make it work, but I cannot speak for others. Curriculum, standardized testing, class instruction and extracurriculars are all subordinate to the safety of our children. That is the highest priority in my opinion," Kilpatrick said.
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- JCPS cancels school Thursday and Friday because of major transportation issues
- JCPS parents frustrated with new bus routes as some kids get home at almost 10 p.m. on the first day.
- On the eve of the first day of school, JCPS parents concerned about bus route changes
- Bracing for change, JCPS begins school year with new start times, fewer bus routes
- Louisville officials sign resolution asking employers to be flexible with new JCPS start times
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