Transportation

Students catch their bus near Ambridge Area Senior High School on the first day of Pennsylvania's mask mandate for K-12 schools and day care centers on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021, in Ambridge, Pa.
Students catch their bus near Ambridge Area Senior High School in Ambridge, Pa., earlier this year on the first day of Pennsylvania's mask mandate for K-12 schools.
Andrew Rush/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Education Funding Here's How Schools Can Use Federal COVID Aid to Solve Bus Driver and Other Transportation Woes
The Education Department outlines districts' options for using relief money to solve nationwide problems in getting kids to and from school.
Andrew Ujifusa, November 15, 2021
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2 min read
Members of the Vermont Army National Guard help direct traffic through the food distribution site at the Brattleboro Union High School, in Brattleboro, Vt., on Thursday, June 11, 2020.
A Vermont National Guard member directs traffic for a food distribution site at a high school in Brattleboro, Vt. In some states, concerns over costs, liabilities, and resources are preventing school districts from getting Guard help for bus transportation and COVID testing.
Kristopher Radder/Brattleboro Reformer via AP
School & District Management Are Bus Driver Shortages So Bad They Require the National Guard? Why Leaders Made the Call
Schools in nearly a dozen states are calling for the Guard to fill bus driver gaps—but logistics, optics, and funding are in the way.
Mark Lieberman, November 4, 2021
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5 min read
Rycc Smith welcomes Montello Elementary School students as they board his bus outside the Lewiston, Maine school after the first day back in nearly a month on Jan. 21, 2021. The entire school district switched to all remote learning after an uptick in COVID-19 cases last month.
Rycc Smith welcomes Montello Elementary School students as they board his bus outside the Lewiston, Maine school after the first day back in nearly a month on Jan. 21, 2021. The entire school district switched to all remote learning after an uptick in COVID-19 cases last month.
Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal via AP
Recruitment & Retention Video What’s Behind the School Staffing Shortages – And What Districts Can Do To Address Them
Schools are experiencing a staffing shortage across a range of classified and low-wage positions. A look at the causes, and some solutions.
Jaclyn Borowski & Mark Lieberman, September 23, 2021
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4:03
Rycc Smith welcomes Montello Elementary School students as they board his bus outside the Lewiston, Maine school after the first day back in nearly a month on Jan. 21, 2021. The entire school district switched to all remote learning after an uptick in COVID-19 cases last month.
Rycc Smith welcomes Montello Elementary School students as they board his bus outside the Lewiston, Maine school after the first day back in nearly a month on Jan. 21, 2021. The entire school district switched to all remote learning after an uptick in COVID-19 cases last month.
Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal via AP
Recruitment & Retention No Bus Drivers, Custodians, or Subs. What's Really Behind Schools' Staffing Shortages?
Dismal pay, certification requirements, and longstanding disrespect are causing many classified workers to quit.
Mark Lieberman, September 20, 2021
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10 min read
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Pratya Vuttapanit/iStock/Getty
Education Funding School Infrastructure Funding in Flux as Senators Advance Package Funding Electric Buses
Groups are warning school infrastructure could get shortchanged as Democrats negotiate a sweeping $3.5 trillion budget deal.
Andrew Ujifusa, July 29, 2021
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5 min read
Elementary school students sit on board a school bus after attending in-person classes at school in Wheeling, Ill., on Nov. 19, 2020. Keeping masks on and windows open can reduce the risk of COVID-19, even when students cannot keep distant, new research suggests.
Elementary school students wearing masks sit on board a school bus after attending in-person classes in Wheeling, Ill., last November.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
Student Well-Being What the Research Says Here's One Way to Keep School Buses Safe During the Pandemic
With nearly all students expected to return to campus in the fall, districts will face big challenges transporting large groups safely.
Sarah D. Sparks, July 26, 2021
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2 min read
Rycc Smith welcomes Montello Elementary School students as they board his bus outside the Lewiston, Maine school after the first day back in nearly a month on Jan. 21, 2021. The entire school district switched to all remote learning after an uptick in COVID-19 cases last month.
Bus driver Rycc Smith welcomes Montello Elementary School students as they board his bus in Lewiston, Maine, in January on their first day back to school after a month of remote learning.
Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal via AP
School & District Management Bus Driver Shortages Worsening for Many Districts as Schools Reopen
A perennial problem gets worse as districts across the country struggle to find enough drivers to get all their students back to school.
Dalia Faheid, May 19, 2021
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6 min read
Eric Griffith, 55, poses for a portrait in front of a school bus in Jacksonville, Fla. on Thursday, March 18, 2021. Griffith, who has been a school bus driver for 20 years, delivered meals and educational materials during the first couple months of the coronavirus pandemic when schools shifted to remote learning.
Eric Griffith has been a bus driver for Duval County schools in Jacksonville, Fla., for 20 years. He's been driving students all year and hopes to get his coronavirus vaccine soon.
Charlotte Kesl for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Audio Driving the School Bus, Waiting for a Vaccine
A veteran bus driver holds out hope he won't get COVID-19 while awaiting his first vaccination.
Catherine Gewertz, March 19, 2021
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3 min read
School buses remain parked in a storage area due to COVID-related school closures earlier this year in Zelienople, Pa.
School buses remain parked in a storage area due to COVID-related school closures earlier this year in Zelienople, Pa.
Keith Srakocic/AP
School & District Management Districts Offer Cash to Families Who Skip the School Bus
Facing big transportation costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some school districts will pay parents or caregivers to get their kids to school, or charge them for the bus ride.
Daarel Burnette II, September 10, 2020
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5 min read
Equity & Diversity Briefly Stated Briefly Stated: Stories You May Have Missed
A collection of stories from the week that you may have missed.
September 9, 2020
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8 min read
School Climate & Safety During Pandemic, Managing School Buses Will Be a Year-Round Concern
A new report underscores that, for transportation directors, the first day of school will definitely not mark the last day of planning.
Corey Mitchell, July 21, 2020
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2 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Getty
Special Education Getting Students With Disabilities Back to Class
Districts don't get a pass on providing some means of transportation for students in special education. Here's how some are planning to make it happen this fall.
Corey Mitchell, July 8, 2020
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4 min read
Juvenal Landeros applies an antimicrobial coating to the interior of school buses in Austin, Texas. Extra cleaning and safety precautions aboard school buses to guard against coronavirus infection are among the challenges facing school transportation officials as they prepare to reopen for the 2020-21 academic year.
Juvenal Landeros applies an antimicrobial coating to the interior of school buses in Austin, Texas. Extra cleaning and safety precautions aboard school buses to guard against coronavirus infection are among the challenges facing school transportation officials as they prepare to reopen for the 2020-21 academic year.
Julia Robinson for Education Week
School & District Management Staffing Hard-to-Fill Bus-Driver Positions in a Pandemic
School transportation officials seek creative ways to keep their fleets staffed up while economics and health concerns make recruitment more challenging.
Evie Blad, July 8, 2020
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5 min read
School buses sit parked in a lot as schools remain closed due to the coronavirus in Providence, R.I.
School buses sit parked in a lot as schools remain closed due to the coronavirus in Providence, R.I.
David Goldman/AP
School & District Management In a Pandemic, Who Gets to Ride the Bus? And What About Those Who Don't?
Fewer students will be able to use district transportation due to COVID-19 precautions. Districts can set priorities for who rides while assuring that others can still get to school.
Evie Blad, July 8, 2020
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7 min read
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