REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — Reynoldsburg City Schools are now hitting the pavement in search of at least 10 additional bus drivers as they transition more grades to part-time remote learning in the meantime.
The district has added fifth through 12th grade on the rotation for remote learning due to the continued staffing shortages in transportation.
Communications Director Stephanie Beougher said the goal would be to add at least 10 more drivers. However, they would like to have as many as possible, including substitutes.
On remote days, teachers at those schools provide live instruction online, and students are logged in and participating during their scheduled classes.
Some parents fear that remote learning is creating an inequity, hindering students from having the same capabilities and access to learning across the board.
Shanae Crabe has a child in elementary and middle school. She said she is now balancing both their remote schedules and her work from home job.
"Because I do work from home, that's a little stressful, however, it's not as stressful as if I were not home and had to kind of work out those logistics, which a lot of parents in our community have to deal with right now,” Crabe said.
Crabe adds that she’s one of the lucky ones, and thinks it’s important for students to get back to class for interaction, and so IEP students can get the one-on-one attention they need.
“There are children that are just completely not at home and they don't have that environment because they're in daycare because there's toddlers and there's infants and there's not any quiet space for them to be,” Crabe said.
In a statement, Beougher says, “We understand this is impacting our Raider Families. The decision to go to remote learning was not something we took lightly. We are working every day to solve the issue and find alternatives to online learning. We are also meeting with community organizations to explore ways they may be able to provide support for families when there are remote days.”
A special board meeting is being held Tuesday night. One of the items on the agenda is asking for the approval of a candidate for one of the three transportation department leadership positions.
Here’s the remote learning rotation this week for grades 5-12:
- Monday: Reynoldsburg High School (both campuses) & STEM Middle at Baldwin Road Junior High School
- Tuesday: Hannah Ashton Middle School, Waggoner Road Junior High School and Waggoner Road Middle School
- Wednesday: Reynoldsburg High School (both campuses) & STEM Middle at Baldwin Road Junior High School
- Thursday: Hannah Ashton Middle School, Waggoner Road Junior High School and Waggoner Road Middle School
- Friday: Reynoldsburg High School (both campuses)
The mayor of Reynoldsburg, Joe Begeny, said the city is also stepping in to help by recruiting employees with CDL licenses. He said the city has 12 employees that have CDL licenses and is encouraging them to help the school district.
“I think it would just be a relief, now maybe that way instead of closing two high schools down, it would only be one. Instead of three or four elementary schools during the week, maybe it's only one per week. Those routes can make a big difference when you're talking about two or three drivers," Begeny said.
The district said remote learning for fifth through 12th grade is currently scheduled for this week and they are continuing to assess daily staffing levels to determine if additional adjustments need to be made or if they continue the rotation beyond this week.
The rotating schedule for the six elementary schools will continue until further notice.
They have also entered into a short-term contract with a transportation consultant to find additional solutions besides our current rotating remote learning schedule.