BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — Palm Beach County School District Parents counting on the school bus to take their children to school Monday may be in for a rude awakening. Bus drivers, concerned over a lack of social distancing and sanitization plans for school buses in Palm Beach County may “slow drive,” get lost, or obey every traffic law possible creating such significant delays that parents ultimately decide to drive their kids themselves.
BocaNewsNow.com does not report rumor, but as this growing rumor has the impact to significantly disrupt plans for tens of thousands of people on Monday, we are reporting it so parents know it’s out there and can make appropriate plans.
Palm Beach County school bus drivers have been expressing their concerns for weeks — both at school board meetings and in private conversations with the media. The concerns are expressed passionately.
“We love our children,” said one bus driver. “We don’t want them to get sick and we don’t want to get sick.”
Palm Beach County School District transportation workers blasted school officials in August during several high intensity school board meetings. The transportation workers said they returned to promises of sanitized school buses, only to find dead animals on board, animal excrement on board, and potential schedules that leave no time for cleaning or disinfecting between routes. Many claimed there was no disinfectant to be found.
Palm Beach County School District transportation workers blasted school officials in August during several high intensity school board meetings. The transportation workers said they returned to promises of sanitized school buses, only to find dead animals on board, animal excrement on board, and potential schedules that leave no time for cleaning or disinfecting between routes. Many claimed there was no disinfectant to be found.
There are also social distancing concerns. Bus drivers asked the Palm Beach County School Board how they are supposed to keep kids apart while driving overcrowded buses. There was no answer.
The overcrowding concern may not immediately be an issue. The Palm Beach County School District says just half of the district’s 180,000 students are expected to return for in-person learning when doors open Monday. The rest will stay home for “distance learning.”
“We’re going to do what we need to do,” said one transportation worker to BocaNewsNow.com. “We need to keep our kids and our drivers safe. Parents should think about making other plans.”
