Dear LMSD Families,

As you are likely aware, Districts across the country are being impacted by a shortage of school bus drivers. Our District is no exception. While we have enough drivers to make our daily runs right now, if more drivers than anticipated call out from work on a given day -- even with supervisors driving buses and even with combining routes when possible -- there may be days when we simply won't have enough drivers. Morning runs are most likely to be impacted, but depending on the severity of the shortage, afternoon runs may need to be combined or may run late as well.

If such a shortage does occur, the Transportation Department may have to implement its Driver Shortage Emergency Plan. This plan was designed to minimize the impact to students as much as possible. Families of students whose bus routes are impacted will receive notifications via email, text message and robocall early in the morning if the plan is implemented. Our hope is that only one route would be impacted per day, but it is possible – depending on the severity of the driver shortage – that more than one route may be affected.

Driver Shortage Emergency Plan:

• Families on the impacted route will receive an early morning email, text message and robocall
• High School
  • There will be no bus transportation for the impacted high school run
  • HS staff will be notified about which students will not have District-provided transportation to school
  • Those students will have a virtual asynchronous instruction day, which will not be counted as an absence from school
• Middle School
  • Transportation on the impacted route will be approximately one hour late.
  • MS staff will be notified and students from that route who are late will be excused.
• Elementary School
  • Transportation on the impacted route will be approximately 30 minutes late
  • ES staff will be notified and students from that route who are late will be excused.

Parents/guardians are urged to make plans for how your child might get to school if their bus route is canceled or delayed. You might want to discuss driving options with other parents/guardians from your child's bus stop.

Elementary school parents/guardians who need morning childcare due to the delayed bus can choose to deliver their child to the Right At School early care option on a drop-in basis. LMSD will cover the cost of the child's care for that morning. If you think you might use this option, please visit the Right At School website to register your child in advance.

If you know of anyone who might be interested in becoming an LMSD Bus Driver, please urge them to visit www.lmsd.org/bus to fill out an application. LMSD is actively recruiting additional drivers and has implemented incentives for both current drivers and new hires.

We hope that we will not have to implement the Driver Shortage Emergency Plan, but thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation, should implementation be necessary.

Sincerely,

Khalid N. Mumin, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools