LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Leaders at the largest school district in the state say they are working on solutions to help solve transportation issues, which have kept school closed since Thursday.

Despite their efforts, parents and students still have concerns.

In March, the Jefferson County Board of Education approved a plan that staggered start times. The times range from 7:40 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. for school to start.

For most schools in the district, dismissal times would range from 2:20 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. But last week, some students didn’t get home until hours later.

“As you all know, the student got home on the bus at nearly 10 o’clock,” Bailey Kaiser, a JCPS student, said. “And as a student myself, I can say that this is absolutely unacceptable and that every JCPS family deserves to have their child home before they eat dinner.”

Ballard High School sophomore Bailey Kaiser went to Tuesday’s board meeting where the transportation issues were being addressed. Shayla Porter, a JCPS parent, also went. She wants things to change.

“If we made the schools equitable, we wouldn’t have the transportation issues that we do. You wouldn’t need to send kids from one side of town to the other,” Porter said. 

“What I really want you guys to get, even though I know that it’s hard, is to change that truth: make the schools equitable,” Porter said. 

JCPS outlined their key mistakes:

• Challenges adjusting to new bus stops and unanticipated delays
• Failure to recognize the importance of bus depots staying on schedule
• Lack of communication resources
• The length of some bus routes

Superintendent Marty Pollio promised parents and students that an internal audit will be conducted. 

On Friday, parents will be able to check the location of their child’s bus. That’s because the district is partnering with “EDULOG”. It’s a GPS software company that allows parents to see their child’s bus status through a mobile app. 

JCPS also plans to add extra staff members on some buses to help navigate routes, and to shorten some routes.