School Bus Driver Shortage Could Mean Delays
This is a follow-up notification that outlines the Transportation Department’s rotating bus delay schedule, just in case the district needs to implement a one-hour delay on any given day due to a bus driver shortage. This schedule was created to help minimize disruptions for parents by ensuring that if needed, bus delays ONLY impact specific routes one day per week.
IF BH-BL needs to operate on a one-hour delay, it will adhere to the rotating schedule below for one or more of the following buses. (Your child’s bus will only be impacted by a delay on a specific day):
- MONDAYS: The Airplane, Bell, Apple, Bike, Bear, Butterfly, and Sneaker buses as well as buses #334 (Maywood/Birchwood/Airline) and #345 (Mekeel)
- TUESDAYS: The Bird, Boat, Clock, Dolphin, Cat, Cow and Sunshine buses as well as buses #355 (NEPC/Niskayuna) and #390 (Guilderland)
- WEDNESDAYS: The Car, Duck, Flower, Key, Fish, Horse, and Tree buses as well as bus #357 (Augustine Classical Academy)
- THURSDAYS: The Frog, Leaf, Panda, Rabbit, Orca, Squirrel, Tractor and Triangle buses as well as buses #375 (Parsons/CDC) and #376 (CBA/Brown)
- FRIDAYS: The Music Note, Pencil, Smiley Face, Rooster, Rose, and Truck buses as well as buses #378 (Wildwood), #379 (St. Mary’s/Oak Hill/Saratoga City) and #391 (Meyers/Saratoga Catholic)
Schedule Sample: Students who ride the Airplane bus would ONLY be delayed on Mondays, and ONLY IF the district was experiencing a bus shortage on a Monday.
Parents/guardians will be notified by 6 a.m. on the day of a delay. A School Messenger notification (text and email) will be sent identifying the name of the bus or buses that will follow the one-hour delay. If there is a need for an afternoon delay, parents/guardians will be notified by noon, and the district will adhere to the same bus schedule as above.
IMPORTANT: We will ONLY send a School Messenger notification IF we need to shift to a one-hour delay. If you do NOT receive a notification in the morning or afternoon, then BH-BL buses are operating ON A REGULAR SCHEDULE. Most days, we hope delays will not be necessary.
Additionally, parents/guardians may always choose to drop off and/or pick up their children on the days their bus has been scheduled for a one-hour delay. To do this, parents should call the Transportation Department in the morning and leave a message that their child will not be at the bus stop for pick up. (Voicemail: 518-399-9141, #7) Conversely, if parents choose to pick up their child for dismissal, please contact your child’s school and notify the main office staff.
It’s important to know that if there is an afternoon bus delay, there will be adult supervision for all elementary students riding the delayed bus. At the secondary level, supervision will likely be similar to Activity Period.