CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. — The first week of school for Cabarrus County Schools students is in the books.
However, a lack of school bus drivers has led to some changes to where Program Choice students are being picked up and dropped off for school.
Parents told WCNC Charlotte's Jesse Pierre they are frustrated that the bus stop close to their home is gone and now they must travel further to get their kids to and from school.
“Last year was a breeze in my opinion and this year there were all of these changes,” parent Jessica Black said.
Among these changes is moving some local school bus stops to a new centralized hub model.
“I got a message the night before letting me know there would be a hub stop now and her pick up and drop off stop has been removed,” Black said.
“They have parents drop them off at RB McAlister in the morning,” a concerned grandma, who did not want to use her first name but also received the change for her grandchild, said. “But then in the afternoon they are expecting parents to let their kids go from JN Fries to be taken to Concord Middle School and dropped off there to wait on parents.”
Black’s daughter also attends JN Fries Middle School.
“I’ve completely restructured my work schedule to make sure she gets to school safely,” Black said.
She said families have to bring their kids to RB McAllister Elementary in the morning to get on the school bus that then brings them to JN Fries after school kids are taken to Concord Middle School for families to pick them up there - some are not a fan of the new system.
“Drop off the ones who are closer to RB McAlister at RB McAlister and the ones closer to Concord Middle Hub for those on that side,” said the concerned grandma. “Going across town and they are bypassing a place they could stop that is already an inconvenience for parents are already having to change their work schedule to do these hub stations.”
A spokesperson with Cabarrus County School district said the decision was made last spring and in a statement, in part:
Unfortunately, we no longer have the resources to support door-to-door service for program choice due to the growth we are currently experiencing. By transitioning to centralized hub stops, we can optimize our resources more effectively and ensure that our transportation services remain sustainable in the long term.
Black hopes this system is not here to stay.
“If there were more hub stops that would be a really wonderful thing that would be a great option,” Black said. “If this is the permanent solution, I’m going to be concerned for myself and other parents.”
The district said they currently have 37 bus driver openings with 8 people in queue to be hired adding that it is a lengthy process because of the training they need. They are also utilizing double runs on some routes to mitigate staffing shortages.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.