By Simon Klinck // Reporter
It’s 7th period on a Friday. After a grueling week full of homework, tests, and assignments, students just want to go home and relax. Suddenly, an announcement comes over the P.A.: “We have five late buses today: bus 13, 17, 20, 89, and 320.” All those plans for relaxation must wait.
Unfortunately, this is the case for many bus riders at Avon High School. Oftentimes they will have to wait upwards of 30 minutes before their bus arrives and oftentimes even longer still.
“A couple of weeks ago the bus was 50 minutes late on a marching band day when I had very little time for homework and other stuff at my house,” said sophomore William Gibson IV. “I couldn’t do my physics homework until 10 p.m.”
The bus shortage isn’t merely a delay; the effects of students not getting home on time can hamper students’ ability to do extracurricular activities, homework, and at-home responsibilities such as chores. These can all have major effects on the students as well, whether it’s bad grades or punishments for being late.
“It’s been five weeks straight of my bus being late and it’s about 20-40 minutes late each time,” Gibson said.
Typically, it’s the same buses just about every time. When the same students must wait every day, it becomes almost a routine for them to rush to complete their responsibilities.
“There was a 17-day streak of my bus being late. I don’t have time to do homework, I don’t have time to prepare for marching band, it gives me less free time, and it makes things harder for me to prepare myself dinner before practice,” said sophomore Declan Sandullo.
When the consequences of a shortage become so harsh that students struggle to find time for dinner, one starts to wonder how the school is trying to combat this serious issue.
According to a statement by Mr. Shockley, this shortage is happening nationwide, and he says that Avon is doing all they can to fix it.
“Over the past several months, we have advertised openings through multiple channels and community partnerships, offered referral incentives for current employees who help recruit qualified candidates, encouraged district staff, including teachers and other employees with the appropriate credentials, to assist by driving routes, provided free training opportunities for individuals interested in obtaining their commercial driver’s license and school bus endorsements, and regularly reviewed compensation and benefits to ensure our driver pay remains competitive.”
Nonetheless, the shortage remains, continuing to impact students, parents, and staff alike.
“I don’t really blame anybody for the bus shortage since it is a widespread issue. It’s also not really my bus driver’s fault either because he is on medical leave,” said Gibson.
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