LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Thousands of Jefferson County Public Schools elementary and middle school students are back at home after returning to school for a second time Friday.

The morning bus commute still saw problems as the district tried fixing transportation issues that unfolded on the first day of school. Bus delays averaged 10-40 minutes for some students, but the district told families earlier this week to still anticipate some normal "first day" delays.

JCPS Spokeswoman Carolyn Callahan told WDRB News the last student was dropped off at 7:43 p.m. Friday. That's a little over two hours before the last student was dropped off on the Aug. 9 first day of school, when the last students were dropped off at 9:58 p.m.

According to a news release from the district just after 8 p.m. Friday, 17 students remained on school buses at 7:15 p.m. 

"Our bus drivers and staff did a phenomenal job getting tens of thousands of students safely to and from school today," JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio said in a news release. "The short-term adjustments we put in place were successful and we continue to work on more substantial, long-term solutions. I'm pleased with the effort and look forward to welcoming our high school students back on Monday."

The district said Friday's drop-off time was "on par" with the first day of school in 2022.

While the district said Friday was successful, buses weren't transporting all JCPS students — only elementary and middle school students. High school students will be added to the mix Monday morning.

Many parents also took their children to school and picked them up themselves to avoid bus delays. Parents and teachers told WDRB News Friday afternoon that some schools had also dismissed early.

Buses also weren't running for the younger kids, as the district postponed the first day of Early Childhood Education programs for "at least" two weeks. 

WDRB News asked viewers on Facebook Friday evening how the day went for them. One parent said the morning ride was "great" and that their child's bus was early, but the afternoon bus was late. The same parent said they had prepared for delays and packed snacks and water just in case.

Some other parents, however, said their child, or a child they know, got dropped off at the wrong bus stop in the afternoon — some miles away from where they were supposed to be dropped off. Many parents said the morning bus ride was a lot smoother than the afternoon.

Last week, 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.

JCPS decided to cancel classes for Thursday and Friday and later extended that closure to include Monday and Tuesday of this week. Monday, the district said schools would remain closed Wednesday and Thursday before implementing a "staggered" return.

Elementary and middle school students were the first to return Friday before high school students follow on Monday. Superintendent Marty Pollio said the weekend would allow the district time to make any needed adjustments before Monday.

Friday afternoon, eager parents across Louisville waited at bus stops as their students made their way home. While there didn't seem to be as many issues during the afternoon commute, some buses were running at least an hour late getting kids home.

Following last week's transportation issues, the district implemented a number of changes leading up to Friday's first day redo. 

  • Buses will no longer wait at depots for extended periods of time. If a bus runs exceptionally late, other depot buses will continue their routes, and the late students will be transported by a different bus or JCPS van.
  • School leaders will have access to the Edulog Parent Portal Lite app to help families know where buses are in real-time. This app will also be available for JCPS parents as soon as we finalize our internal systems to support guardian access.
  • Some bus drivers will have a JCPS employee riding with them to help guide them through challenging routes.
  • Additional traffic flow support at some of our highest traffic areas.
  • Increased communication support at bus compounds and the JCPS 485-RIDE Call Center to better answer families' questions.

The most impactful change for parents — once it's available to them — will be the app. The Edulog Parent Portal Lite app shows users when a school bus is scheduled to pick up and drop off a student. Parents can turn on notifications to be alerted when a bus comes within a certain distance of their homes.

The app was not be ready for parents and guardians to use by Friday, but JCPS had access.

Until the app is available to parents, they can call their child's school — or the 485-RIDE bus hotline —  and staff can pinpoint where the bus is. All schools will have access, district spokeswoman Carolyn Callahan said. The transportation call center had about 30 people answering phones Friday, a big improvement from the 10 or 11 staffed on the first day of school, Callahan said during a news briefing Thursday afternoon.  

JCPS is asking parents to observe a 45-minute "grace period" after the scheduled arrival time of children before calling to track down their bus.

The district also has a new "Return to School" website meant to help parents check the district's Bus Finder and get answers to common questions. To access it, click here.

This story will be updated.

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