Chapel Hill-Carrboro students could miss hours of school due to COVID outbreak among bus drivers

The district said drivers on all routes and for all grade levels share a headquarters where it is thought that COVID-19 spread among the staff.

Posted 7:01 p.m. Feb 20, 2023 — Updated 12:14 p.m. Feb 21, 2023

Joe Fisher

and

Leslie Moreno, WRAL reporters

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — With 24 of 42 school bus drivers either testing positive for COVID-19, exhibiting cold symptoms or both, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools went into triage mode Monday to get students to and from school.

The district said drivers on all routes and for all grade levels share a headquarters building on High School Road in Chapel Hill.

“That’s the break room. That’s the office. That’s the restroom. It’s where our transportation staff report to work," said Andy Jenks, spokesman for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.

It is believed that is where employees passed around the virus.

By mid-day Monday, there had been no reports of student illness related to the bus driver outbreak,

However, it was students and parents inconvenienced and worse – bus routes will likely be short staffed all week. Any driver who tests positive for COVID-19 will miss at least five days behind the wheel.

“We will get through it," Jenks said. "We are asking for an enormous amount of patience and grace from our families."

On Monday, the district said it would pick elementary students and students with special needs first, then assign routes for middle schools, then high schools. Any students who can't get to school by other means – carpool, ride share or walking – should call the transportation office at 919-942-5045 to arrange pickup after other routes are complete.

“Some students could be up to an hour late to school," Jenks said.

"It’s nobody’s idea of an ideal situation, and it breaks our heart that some students may not be at school or at least some students are missing valuable time at school as a result of what’s going on.”

More than half the transportation staff for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools will be out of work for the next several days, leaving at least 21 buses not running for part of this upcoming week.

The following bus routes are expected to be impacted on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday:

Bus 7
Bus 19
Bus 20
Bus 22
Bus 40
Bus 65
Bus 67
Bus 69
Bus 76
Bus 114
Bus 116
Bus 128
EC Bus 130
Bus 131
Bus 132
EC Bus 143
Bus 144
Bus 66
Bus 71
Bus 81
Bus 247

In the afternoons, families of students in grades K-2 are asked to receive their children at the bus stop.

"Per district policy, if any students grades K-2 are driven back to school because there was no parent/caregiver at the bus stop, that will lengthen the delays," Jenks said.

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