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Local Administration Goes the Extra Mile During Bus Driver Shortage Bus Driver Shortage causes Local Administration to go the extra mile

Teachers offer up their own cars to drive students to school.

By Nicole Aponte

First Student Bus drives to Bellevue Elementary School in Syracuse, N.Y.
© 2021 Nicole Aponte

Reporter: It’s four weeks into the school year and students can’t get to class. Most are waiting two hours for a school bus – something that doesn’t sit right with Syracuse administrators.

LYNELLE: “We want them in school, so we are taking that step to make sure our kids are in school as much as possible.”

Reporter: Lynelle Francis is the Principal of Bellevue Elementary School. She’s pulling double duty, along with her colleagues, as both an administrator and a driver for her students. Francis is using her own car, but says the risk is worth the reward.

LYNELLE: “There is a risk to it, but I’m sorry, I think that’s part of my job. And, getting kids to school is non-negotiable.”

Reporter: Francis has seen little improvement with bus schedules, but commends both the City School District and First Student for doing all they can. Nicole Aponte, N-C-C News.

Syracuse, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) — The Syracuse City School District started its school year four weeks ago. Already, students are having trouble getting to class, and it’s not because of COVID-19. It’s because of the bus driver shortage. Students have waited up to two hours in the morning for a school bus to come and drive them to school.

Lynelle Francis, the Principal of Bellevue Elementary School, will do anything so students don’t fall behind on their work once again. “We want them in school,” Francis said. “We are taking that step to make sure our kids are in school as much as possible.”

Administrators are doing just that. Lynelle Francis, the Vice Principal and staff at Bellevue take their own cars to bus stops to drive these children to school. “There is a risk to it, but I’m sorry – I think that’s part of my job. And getting kids to school is non-negotiable,” she said.

Lynelle and her team will only put a child in their cars if the parents allow the students to travel with them. Luckily for Bellevue Elementary School, the parents trust in the administrators makes this system work. “They trust us to get their children to school safely, and that makes a big difference. I can’t say that every school can do that. ”

Francis knows the hard work that both the Syracuse City School District and First Student are putting in to help students get into the classroom and have an in-person learning experience. Lynelle’s optimistic because of the hardships the school’s faced in the past year because of the pandemic. “It’s a crisis that we’ve had to deal with, but we’re going to get through it.”

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