Jefferson City School District parents concerned over bus overcrowding, delays

Parents of Jefferson City Schools students have raised concerns over bus delays and overcrowding.

“It’s so overcrowded there are three students per seat and kids are having to stand up and sit on the bus floor,” said Mary Anderson, a middle school parent.

The district said it plans to address the overcrowding issue as soon as possible.

“On the first few days, we have many families who did not complete registration, or completed it very late (this accounts for approximately 20 percent of our 5,000 bus riders this year),” JC Schools said in a comment on its Facebook page about bus delays. “When a student is not routed on a bus (and therefore not included in the total headcount) that is what creates the unintentional overcrowding.”

JC Schools said it’s working to route students who registered late and will add buses to accommodate.

The district says it needs help from parents in order to keep bus routes on time.

“We’re reminding parents to be part of the solution with us,” Superintendent Larry Linthacum said Wednesday after bus delays angered some parents on Tuesday, the first day of school.

The district was posting updates about bus delays on its Facebook page Wednesday. Bus, No. 306 serving Lewis and Clark Middle School and Jefferson City High School was delayed 30 minutes, the district said. Bus Nos. 106 and 107 serving Thomas Jefferson Middle School and Capital City High School were also running 30 minutes late.

The longest delay was 40 minutes for bus No. 201, which serves Lewis and Clark Middle School and Jefferson City High School.

There is no single factor contributing to why many buses were delayed on Monday. But he said when one bus route is affected, it creates a ripple effect with the districts staggered dismissal times.

According to the district, most buses run a secondary route. Buses drop off elementary school students then begin their routes carrying middle and high school students.

But one issue the district saw on Monday was parents not being at bus stops to pick up their students in the afternoon, Linthacum said.

“We’re working through that as far as communicating with the parents,” he said.

Bus drivers are told not to drop off a first grader or kindergarten student unless an adult is at the bus stop. This means bus drivers might be waiting for long periods of time at one bus stop for a parent or guardian to arrive or having to circle back at a later time to drop off that student.

“We’re asking folks to be a part of the solution and to call the school if they have any questions,” he said.

Linthacum said the district has also been in close contact with First Student, the contracted bus company for the district, about the issues.