CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Despite showing significant progress in its transportation operations and staffing over the past year, CMCSS is still struggling with bus driver shortages, and concerns from parents are rising as their children arrive home later every week.
This school year started with a staffing level of 78%, with 230 full-time drivers covering 245 bus routes. The number of open routes was even reduced to just 15, alongside 48 double runs. But parents at Oakland Elementary School are experiencing the effects of these double runs, raising a common question: “Where is my child?”
Parents say not enough communication
Bradley Thomas’ daughter has attended Oakland Elementary since kindergarten, and this is not the first time they’ve seen school bus delays.
During the 2021-22 crisis, Thomas said, there were times his daughter wasn’t walking into their house until after 6 p.m. “It was at a point where I was calling the school, and no one was even answering because everyone had gone home for the day, and nobody in the neighborhood even knew where their kids were,” Thomas told Clarksville Now.
The issue now is milder in comparison, but seeing his child be dropped off around 5 p.m. at night is still inexcusable, he said. His child is involved in out-of-school activities, and many times, he has to go check her out of school just to make sure she makes it to practices on time, causing her to miss an extra hour of learning.
“I thought that we were over this problem like, two years ago, like it was a post-COVID issue, and it’s still a problem,” Thomas said.
Some families have entrusted their children with cell phones, adding a little peace of mind to the parents’ worries. But other families don’t have this luxury and have taken extra measures to ensure they know their children’s location.
Jason Gluff, a parent of a student at Oakland, resorted to these measures after his child was being dropped off after 5 p.m. “I had to put an air tag on his backpack,” Gluff told Clarksville Now. “We live on kind of a rural route. And it relies on having contact with an iPhone.”
Gluff said the air tag will update his son’s location about once or twice over the course of him coming home. He said if they’re lucky, they get an update every 20-30 minutes.
“It sucks – you don’t know where your kid is,” Gluff said. “You call the school bus complex, and you’re lucky if someone even answers. It’s hit and miss.”
Improvements to student tracking
“The school has made some improvements,” Thomas said. “At the tail end of last year, they actually had, like, a live Excel document that would show when the kids were picked up, when they were moving out of the school, and when they were on their way home. As far as I’m tracking? That’s not a thing this year.”
Thomas said after calling and speaking with transportation and the school, he was told they didn’t have a solution due to the bus driver shortage.
“The only answer I got from transportation is they’re still extremely short on bus drivers,” Thomas said. “Even transportation was like, ‘If you know anybody that’s looking for a job, we’d love to have bus drivers if they can pass the background check!’ I’m a parent asking you where my kid is, and you’re asking me to send you referrals for hiring?”
According to CMCSS spokesman Anthony Johnson, CMCSS introduced measures this year to help address the problem.
“Student ID cards now have a dual purpose as school bus passes and cafeteria account cards for elementary school students,” Johnson said. “Additionally, the StopFinder app offers real-time information on bus routes and stops, allowing parents to monitor their child’s bus activity and location.”
According to Johnson, the CMCSS Transportation Department sends daily notices to families via ParentSquare if buses are running late or other updates, such as route changes.
Becoming a school bus driver
For those interested in becoming a bus driver, there are opportunities available. Eligible candidates are a minimum of 25 years of age with a good driving record, clean background and are drug free. While CDL certification is required, the district provides free training.
Interested candidates can stop by the CMCSS weekly hiring events, every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon, at the CMCSS Operations Complex, 2620 Madison St. Visit cmcss.net/employment for more information.
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