Osceola County schools: Bus driver shortage, call-outs cause delays on Friday

Osceola schools brace for influx of bus driver sick calls

Students in Osceola County could see their buses delayed today as the district anticipates a number of call-outs.

OSCEOLA,COUNTY, Fla. - FOX 35 is working to learn how many bus drivers have called out sick ahead of the holiday weekend in Osceola County.

District officials have been warning parents about this possibility all week. Officials say the district is already down 30 drivers without sick calls.

They are asking parents and students for patience saying buses could be running late because of bus drivers calling out, making their driver shortage worse.

The school district on Friday reported that they are working to accommodate 23% of its routes.

The district says they typically get a high number of absences ahead of a holiday weekend. So officials urge parents to sign up for the bus bulletin on the district website, which allows parents to receive texts and calls about their child's bus.

They also recommend parents download the "Here Comes The Bus" app, so parents can track their child's bus.

Osceola County is already short at least 30 drivers for the 242 runs they have each day, which officials say caused problems earlier this week.

"In some cases on Tuesday morning, it ran about 30 to 40 minutes I think the students were late," Arby Creach, Osceola County Schools Transportation Director, told FOX 35.

About 27,000 students rely on school bus rides. The district is not asking parents to drive their kids to school – just to prepare for late buses.

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