Report by Paula Antolini, October 29, 2021, 2:50PM EDT
Message from Bethel Public Schools:
As has been previously communicated, there is a shortage of bus drivers statewide. In some of our surrounding communities, it has impacted the ability for districts to even complete their regular bus runs, forcing parents to have to drive their children to school. For us, the most impact has been on our athletic transportation.
At the beginning of the school year, we had communicated the desire to add buses to the fleet to stop some of our double runs and crowding on some buses. At the time, we had a few drivers in training to help alleviate the needs. Now, we need drivers to maintain our existing school runs.
Since that communication, we have had some drivers leave due to personal reasons and we lost our beloved “Mr. Jeff”, putting us back in a tight situation to do our normal bus runs (to and from school). As a result, while we do have new drivers in training (6-8 weeks), we do need to combine some bus stops (likely through the end of December) due to this shortage.
IF your child’s stop has been impacted, you will be notified directly. This notification will be through:
• A text message to check your email and;
• An email indicating what stops have been changed as a result of the driver shortage.
We thank you for your continued support and flexibility. We wish the situation were different, but we are proactively trying to avoid bigger issues if we have multiple absences among our drivers. We will continue to problem solve and
communicate any additional issues.
If you have any additional questions, please contact our liaison to the bus company, Teri Yonsky at yonskyt@bethel.k12.ct.us.
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Please also note:
Next Tuesday, November 2nd is Election Day in the State of Connecticut, as a result there is no school.
This year, elections are municipal or local elections including: First Selectman, Selectman, Board of Finance, Board of Education, Town Clerk, Town Treasurer, Planning and Zoning, Zoning Appeals Board of Appeals, Inland Wetlands Commission, and the Police Commission. Polling will be open from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
Districts 1 & 4 vote at the Municipal Center. District 2 votes at the Stony Hill Fire Station. Districts 3 & 5 vote at Berry School.
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