Some Durham students face walking to school amid new zones during cold snap

Starting Tuesday, the district's new Family Responsibility Zones will begin, affecting 21 elementary schools.

ByABC11 Digital Staff WTVD logo
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Cold Snap: some Durham students face walking to school amid new zones
Starting Tuesday, the district's new Family Responsibility Zones will begin, affecting 21 elementary schools.

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- On one of the coldest days of the year, some Durham students could be forced to walk to school because of a bus driver shortage.

Starting Tuesday, the Durham County Public Schools's new Family Responsibility Zones will begin, affecting 21 elementary schools. Year-round schools in the district are still open, while traditional calendar schools are closed Tuesday.

Family responsibility zones are areas within a 1.5-mile radius of the school that will not have bus service. Parents must drop off their children, or students will need to walk to school.

Several parents have expressed concern over inadequate time to adjust to the new responsibility.

RELATED | Durham Public Schools to provide bus service just 4 days a week in December

School leaders tell Eyewitness News that they are working on a permanent solution.

If your child needs to walk to class, ensure they are bundled up in hats, scarves, and gloves to protect them from the cold.

Some good news - school leaders say they're working to get more drivers. There is a career fair on Tuesday to hire more.

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