New bus schedule begins for Durham Public Schools students

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Some Durham parents will have to make their own arrangements to get their child to school starting this week.

A bus driver shortage forced the district to make some drastic changes.

This is one of three weeks parents will have to get their child to school on certain days.

Families will be responsible for transporting their students to and from school one day each of the three weeks, with bus service provided four days per week.

This is temporary, but the district does acknowledge that rotational bus service might present a hardship for some families who have benefitted from daily bus service thus far this school year.

DPS will excuse students who are late and miss school because of no bus routes.

"So our educators have been really worried because students have been chronically absent due to this bus driver shortage. And yet they are really interested in working with the transportation bus drivers to remedy the situation. And nobody is upset with bus drivers because the whole issue is there are not enough bus drivers to fill all the routes," said Mika Tweitmeyer who is president of the Durham Association of Educators.

DPS has published the specific day of the weeks of December 2, 9 and 16 that families will be responsible for their child's transportation to and from school. It will be the same day each week for each bus route.