North Hills Unveils Contingency Plans For Bus Driver Strike

ROSS TOWNSHIP, PA —North Hills School District has announced that families are responsible for getting students to and from school if, as expected, bus drivers with the district's transportation contractor, go on strike at midnight.

If ABC Transit drivers do walk off of the job, district students and those who attend private and parochial schools serviced by district drivers will have to get to school on their own for the duration of the strike.

"We ask that everyone please allow for extra time and please be patient," the district stated in a news release. "While we have done all we can to plan and prepare, heavy traffic at drop-off and pickup is expected."

The district is strongly encouraging carpooling.

Although A.W. Beattie students must provide their own transportation to Beattie, North Allegheny School District buses will transport North Hills students back to the high school at the end of their Beattie classes.

Superintendent Patrick Mannarino said at a school board meeting last week that a contingency plan would not involve the 4,600 students who bus to school receiving online instruction until the labor dispute is settled.

The district now says it will offer a live stream option for students who cannot get to and from school. However, "the expectation is that students attend school in person," the district release stated.

Students remotely attending classes must attend live and should follow their typical daily schedule. Lessons will not be recorded nor posted in Google Classroom for playback.

Attendance will be recorded by the teacher, just as it is on a typical school day. Students must be in class in person or live on Zoom to be counted as present.

Separate, building-specific emails with complete details and maps for drop-offs and pickups are being sent to district families and made available .will be sent later today. The information will also be available on the district website.

Be the first to know what’s happening in your community and region. With a free Patch subscription, you’ll always be up to date on local and state news: https://patch.com/subscribe.