Busing for Bowling Green students in grades K-5, who live 1 mile or more from their school, will return after Christmas break.
Students who attend the middle school and high school will still have to find transportation if they live 2 miles or less from their school.
Bowling Green City Schools Superintendent Francis Scruci made the announcement via email Thursday.
Transportation Director Toby Snow will send new pick-up and drop-off times to all K-5 riders early next week, Scruci said.
Due to a lack of bus drivers, the school board in July voted to only provide busing if a child lives beyond 2 miles of their school.
The district hired eight drivers in August, with administrators planning to return to the 1-mile policy in January.
One driver was hired full time, two withdrew their applications for personal reasons, and of the remaining five, only one will be ready to take the necessary test before Christmas break.
The hope was for them all to be trained and tested by Christmas break, going back to the former 1-mile transportation policy, Scruci said.
“This would have allowed us to reinstate the 1-mile walking distance and thus transport more of our students. Unfortunately, we’ll be unable to bring the whole district back to the 1-mile limit,” he said.
Scruci also said that multiple routes from both Conneaut and Crim elementaries will cause some students to arrive home later than their current schedule, but the delay should be minimal.
When the remainder of drivers are certified, they will be able to move the walking distance for the grades 6-12 students back to 1 mile, he said.
Anyone interested in driving for the district and taking advantage of a $2,000 sign-on bonus, should contact Snow at [email protected] or 419-352-3576 ext. 4070.
