The Washoe County School District has announced a change of school bus pickup and drop-off locations due to a lack of school bus drivers.
The Transportation Department is experiencing a shortage of nearly 70 bus drivers.
As a result, most middle- and high school bus riders will no longer go to their regular bus stops each day. The changes will eliminate some 20 bus routes and better accommodate the current staffing levels.
“Our bus drivers, dispatchers, mechanics, and transportation administrators have worked heroically for months to cover every route and bring every student to and from school every day despite our staffing shortages,” said WCSD Superintendent Dr. Kristen McNeill. “Our Human Resources employees have engaged in ongoing recruitment efforts by attending and holding job fairs and hiring events where they encourage members of the community to apply for positions with the District. I am grateful to all of them for their hard work, but the shortages have persisted, and the situation was simply unsustainable over the long term. This new system will eliminate routes and we will continue to recruit new employees to work for WCSD.”
Beginning on January 3, 2022, most middle- and high school students will go to a nearby elementary school or another public location to wait for the bus in the morning and will be dropped off at the same location after school.
Some students will not be affected by the changes, including students who:
- receive special education services
- attend the Academy of Arts, Careers & Technology (AACT)
- attend school in Incline Village
- are enrolled in the IB program at Wooster High School
- live in Palomino Valley and Washoe Valley
- attend school in Gerlach
- live in Antelope Valley and Rancho Haven
WCSD has contacted families via the Connect Ed call system with information about the upcoming changes. Specific information is available for families at www.washoeschools.net/transportationand there will be ongoing communications to families throughout the Winter Break.
(Washoe County School District contributed to this report.)
