Dear Metro Nashville Public School Families:

You may have heard (or experienced) that Metro Nashville Public Schools is experiencing delays on some bus routes this school year. The district has more than enough bus drivers to cover every bus route, but this school year bus driver absences are higher than normal, causing delays on some bus routes.

Driving schedules provide some limited down time between drivers’ high school, elementary and middle school bus routes. The Metro Schools Transportation Department is now scheduling our drivers to cover absent drivers’ routes during this down time. We appreciate these drivers’ willingness to take on additional routes to get our students to and from school.

We very much regret the effect these delays have on our students and families. We want you to know that students whose buses have been delayed are not counted as tardy and still have the opportunity to eat breakfast at school. The Transportation Department continues to look at ways to reduce this unexpected absenteeism. We are hiring and training bus drivers every week so that we have even more full-time substitute drivers and we will continue our efforts until we have addressed this issue.

Sincerely,

Fred Carr
Chief Operating Officer