At the beginning of last school year, Chicago Public Schools announced it would suspend bus service for the 5,500 students who attend magnet and selective enrollment programs far from their homes, citing school bus driver shortages. This year, they doubled down on that decision with many other districts across the country that have eliminated or trimmed bus services over the last several years.
The bus driver shortage that accelerated during the pandemic seems to have become an intractable problem for schools. The yellow school bus, once an American staple for getting kids from point A to point B and a tool that helped ensure equal access to schools, is now so difficult to access that some parents are using rideshares and cutting back on work so they can get their kids to school. The number of bus drivers decreased by 15% between September 2019 and September 2023, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Thousands of students who need transportation will be without school buses this year. Education experts worry about the long-term impact of poor or patchy transportation on student attendance and learning outcomes.
Read more at USA TODAY.
