After six days of missed instruction, more than 60,000 elementary and middle school students are finally heading back to Jefferson County Public Schools on Friday morning. However, families are left wondering whether the day will go better than the disastrous first day of school.
Live updates will be provided throughout the day, and families are encouraged to share their experiences using the provided form.
At Goldsmith Elementary, where school starts at 9:40, seven out of 13 buses arrived before the first bell. The school’s largest bus arrived at 10:08, which is considered normal for the start of the new year. However, even when drivers were doing their routes without students on Thursday, the bus still arrived late at 9:52. This bus serves two different schools, dropping off students at Goldsmith and then Klondike Elementary. A couple of Klondike students mistakenly tried to get off at Goldsmith, but staff quickly redirected them back onto the bus.
The new Edulog app, which tracks buses, was accurate in its tracking when searching for a bus pulling into Goldsmith Elementary, according to JCPS spokesman Mark Hebert.
The last round of buses at the Nichols compound was 20 minutes late, leaving at 9:50 a.m. instead of the scheduled 9:30 a.m., according to JCPS communications manager Mark Hebert.
Transfers at the Nichols compound began at 7 a.m., with the first buses arriving just before that time. Some buses left about 10 minutes late, but this was expected. The last buses for the 8 a.m. transfer arrived at 8:06 a.m., and students immediately began moving between buses. During the transfer, one student left a backpack on her first bus but was able to retrieve it before departing on her new bus.
A crash on I-265N near Westport Road has blocked all northbound lanes, causing significant traffic delays. The crash was reported at 6:31 a.m., and it is anticipated that the blockage will last about two hours.
The decision to cancel school just one day into the new year was made after major issues with the new transportation system were discovered. Initially, there was hope that school would resume on Monday, then Wednesday, but the district announced a staggered return starting at the end of this week. High school students will not return until Monday, and it is unclear whether early childhood students will be able to start school as planned on August 23.
If buses are late, families are advised to expect them to arrive within 30 to 45 minutes. The district is asking families to give a “grace period” before making calls to find out the location of their students’ bus. School and district employees will now be able to track where buses are, and families are advised to first call their students’ schools for tracking information. The district’s bus hotline is also available, and additional staff members have been hired to reduce wait times when calling.
Parents are urged to recheck their students’ bus stop information on JCPS’ bus finder portal, as some stops may have changed.
Immediate changes have been implemented to address the transportation issues, including having extra buses and vans on standby to deploy when a kindergartner does not have an adult at their stop or when a bus arrives late to a depot. About 25 buses will also have an extra JCPS employee riding with the driver, referred to as “shoulder buddies,” who will have a cell phone and GPS to assist the drivers and communicate with schools.
Next week, the district plans to provide families with information about a new app that will allow them to track their students’ bus. This comes after the lack of communication on the first day of school, where many students were stuck at schools and on buses late into the evening without any updates on their whereabouts.
As the day progresses, families are encouraged to share their experiences and any delays they may have encountered.
How will the live updates and feedback form help the school district improve the transportation system for students?
Covered. Many students were left stranded at bus stops, while others experienced significant delays in their bus arrivals. Parents and families were understandably frustrated and concerned about the situation, wondering if things would improve for their children’s return to school.
To address these concerns, live updates will be provided throughout the day, and families are encouraged to share their experiences using a provided form. This will allow the school district to gather information and make necessary adjustments to ensure a smoother and more efficient transportation system.
At Goldsmith Elementary, where classes start at 9:40, seven out of the 13 buses arrived before the first bell. The largest bus arrived at 10:08, which is considered normal for the beginning of the school year. Even when the drivers were running their routes without students on Thursday, the bus still arrived late at 9:52. It’s worth noting that this particular bus serves two different schools, dropping off students at Goldsmith and then Klondike Elementary. Despite the confusion, staff members quickly redirected a few Klondike students who mistakenly tried to get off at Goldsmith back onto the bus.
The new Edulog app, designed to track buses, was accurate in its tracking when searching for a bus pulling into Goldsmith Elementary, according to JCPS spokesman Mark Hebert. This indicates that the app can be relied upon for future tracking purposes.
In the Nichols compound, the last round of buses was 20 minutes late, leaving at 9:50 a.m. instead of the scheduled 9:30 a.m., according to JCPS communications manager Mark Hebert. Transfers at the compound began at 7 a.m., with the first buses arriving just before that time. Some buses left about 10 minutes late, but this was expected. The last buses for the 8 a.m. transfer arrived at 8:06 a.m., and students immediately began moving between buses. During the transfer process, one student left her backpack on her first bus but was able to retrieve it before departing on her new bus.
Additionally, there is a major traffic delay caused by a crash on I-265N near Westport Road. All northbound lanes have been blocked, and it is estimated that the blockage will last for approximately two hours. This could further contribute to delays and challenges in transportation for students and families.
The decision to cancel school just one day into the new year was made after major issues with the new transportation system came to light. It was clear that immediate action was needed to address these problems and ensure the safety and smooth transportation of students. By gathering feedback from families and actively working to resolve these issues, the Jefferson County Public Schools hope to provide a better experience for their students moving forward.
