More School Bus Delays 'Likely' As Wayne Faces Driver Shortage

WAYNE, NJ — Wayne Township Public Schools will likely continue to see issues with bus delays, as the district faces a driver shortage. Seventeen bus drivers were out Monday, which caused some students to arrive at school late.

Some parents received automated phone calls that their children were absent from schools, which compounded the issue, according to Superintendent Dr. Mark Toback.

"We are likely to continue to see problems like delays with our otherwise reliable transportation service due to a shortage of drivers," Toback said Monday in a letter to parents and guardians. "While we have no immediate answer for the shortage of drivers, every effort will be made to maintain all of our routes."

Toback reported last week that several drivers contracted COVID-19, which made it challenging for the district to maintain service for all bus routes. Read more: Potential Teacher, Bus Driver Shortages At Wayne Schools

The superintendent thanked the drivers who completed routes for their absent coworkers.

To alleviate the issue of parents receiving automated calls about absences, Wayne schools will push back the call times for the elementary and middle school levels. The call time for high schools will remain the same.

The industry shortage of school bus drivers continues to impact schools nationwide. State officials made efforts to alleviate the issue last week, announcing that New Jersey applicants trying to get a school bus driver's license will no longer be required to take the "under-the-hood" portion of the exam for a limited period of time.

The limited, temporary waiver took effect Friday and will continue through March 31. Read more: NJ School Bus Drivers Can Skip Part Of Test To Curb Shortage

Wayne schools have remained open for in-person learning during the national surge of the omicron variant, which has caused record-breaking case totals throughout New Jersey and the nation. But the district has faced challenges since returning from winter break.

On the first day back Jan. 3, the district had vacancies for 189 substitutes but could only hire 51. Teachers and administrators — many of whom already taught additional classes beyond their regular schedules — covered the rest of the vacancies.

Wayne schools reported 520 students with COVID-19 and 537 quarantined as of Thursday, along with 98 staff who tested positive and 32 employees quarantined. See the district's COVID-19 dashboard.

See more local resources:

• Here's where to find a COVID-19 booster shot — or first or second vaccination — around Wayne.
• Need to get tested for COVID-19? See Wayne Patch's guide on what to know about local testing centers.

Although most people with COVID-19 get better within weeks of the illness, some experience conditions known as long COVID or long-haul COVID, according to the CDC. Learn more about long COVID at the CDC's post-COVID conditions page.

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