Valley View Cancels 3 Bus Routes Tuesday Due To Staff Shortages

BOLINGBROOK, IL — Due to staffing shortages, Valley View School District canceled three student bus routes on Tuesday.

The school district is not the only one in the area to run into issues with driver shortages. District 202 in Plainfield canceled classes on Friday and Monday due to spiking COVID-19 cases among bus drivers.

According to a message from Valley View, the three routes canceled Tuesday were:

• Route 38 - Romeoville High School, A. Vito Martinez and Skoff
• Route 39-Romeoville High School, St. Andrew, and RC Hill
• Route 227-Early Childhood

Director of Community Relations Jim Blaney told Patch that the district has 215 transportation staff members. 28 staff members were absent on Tuesday, and over the last 14 days, there have been 12 COVID-19 cases among transportation staff, Blaney said.

He added that the number of absences includes those for personal reasons, Family Medical Leave Act, illnesses not related to COVID-19, and COVID-19.

The district said families may transport their student to school or find carpool arrangements if they are able to do so.

"We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by this circumstance and appreciate your patience as we work through the many challenges to keep our schools open," the district said on its website.

According to the district's COVID-19 dashboard, there have been 463 reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 14 days. The 463 reported cases breaks down into 197 staff member cases (7.8 percent of staff), and 266 student cases (1.71 percent of students).