Guilford suspends school bus service

Guilford suspends school bus service for high schoolers due to driver COVID-19 cases

BY Associated Press Greensboro

PUBLISHED 3:27 PM ET Jan. 08, 2022 PUBLISHED 3:27 PM EST Jan. 08, 2022

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — High school students in two cities in the Triad won’t be able to ride school buses for at least two weeks because a large number of drivers are temporarily out of work after testing positive for COVID-19.

The News & Record of Greensboro reports that Guilford County Schools said Friday that 76 of the district’s drivers are out of work with the virus.

Superintendent Sharon Contreras said those absences come on top of the district’s driver shortage.

Local government leaders including Greensboro's mayor have agreed to give free rides on Greensboro and High Point city buses to students who show their student ID.

At the request of Guilford County Schools, the cities of Greensboro and High Point, are working with the school system to address their bus driver shortage. The cities will be providing transportation for high school students living and going to school in either High Point or Gso
— Mayor Nancy Vaughan (@VaughanNancy) January 7, 2022

Parents are being asked to take their children to school if possible.

Schools across the country face staffing shortages that have been exacerbated by the omicron-related rise in COVID-19 cases.

The bus driver shortage prompted the district on Thursday to announce on social media modifed school schedules for Friday, with some starting later than usual.