Ohio Father Gets Kids to School in Limo During Bus Driver Shortage
This Ohio dad found a fun, temporary solution to the bus driver shortage and the school board is not happy.
Due to the school bus driver shortage, many kids in Central Ohio missed school on Friday, October 1st. When Monday rolled around, Sean Rogers Jr. was prepared. He stopped by his father's limousine company and borrowed a huge SUV limo. Mr. Rogers didn't just take his children to school. He took 25 kids to school that day. The next day, Rogers took 42 kids to school, with class. One parent called Rogers a blessing, however, the school board isn't thrilled according to NBC 12,
Parents are thankful the limo driver stepped up, but the school district is not. School officials pointed out that the limo is not approved for student transportation.
I get there may be safety issues that should be looked into, but maybe the school district should be paying Rogers for his time and effort to help children get to school that may otherwise be out of luck.
During the school board meeting Tuesday evening, Columbus City Schools told parents that 15 to 20% of bus drivers called in sick every day. Columbus, Ohio is far from being alone with this problem. This is becoming a national crisis according to the Hustle,
In Texas, teachers and basketball coaches are being asked to drive buses before school. In Pennsylvania, some districts are paying families $300/mo to voluntarily opt-out of bus pickups.
Covid is among one of the major reasons we're seeing a bus driver shortage. The Hustle points out that Georgia, Florida and Michigan have an "alarming rate" of bus drivers dying of Covid-19.