Bus driver shortage hindering North Mason

North Mason School District Superintendent Dana Rosenbach sent district families a video message Sept. 17, the end of the district’s third week of school, to review existing and potential effects of the pandemic, with an emphasis on how COVID-19 could affect transportation.

To help the district keep students “in school, in class, in person” full time for the remainder of the year, Rosenbach asked families not to send students to school “when they’re not feeling well, when they have the sniffles, a fever or any kind of symptoms.”

Likewise, Rosenbach asked families of quarantined students to abide by the conditions of quarantine, including keeping them at home and not allowing them to participate in extracurricular activities.

Rosenbach pledged the district’s food service department would begin to make available weekly packets of breakfasts and lunches for those students who are in quarantine.

Families will be able to pick up food at the food service office, behind the high school, on Wednesdays, either “early in the morning” or from 1-3 p.m.

“Please look for those announcements,” said Rosenbach, before pointing out how COVID has affected district personnel.

“Our bus drivers are very few and very hard-working, and our buses are very, very full,” Rosenbach said. “If drivers have to quarantine or become ill, it will change what services we can provide. We’ll have to make adjustments, and we’ll let you know about those as soon as possible. But we wanted to let you know now so you could plan.”

The district sent out an email Sept. 17 underscoring Rosenbach’s point that employee shortages could require the district to cancel or

modify bus routes.

“We understand transporting your own students is a hardship for some of our families and we are doing everything we can to avoid placing this hardship on you,” according to the email.

The district will use Stopfinder, Facebook and Blackboard to keep families updated when changes occur, according to the email.

“We are actively recruiting

drivers to attempt to mitigate any circumstances that would require us to cancel or modify routes further,” according to the email. “If you would like to join the team, give us a call for more information, or visit the website (nmsd.wednet.edu) to fill out an application.”

Author Bio

Kirk Boxleitner, Reporter

Shelton-Mason County Journal & Belfair Herald
[email protected]