Message for Families of Bus 74 Riders

Families of Bus 74 Riders,

Many of you have reached out to us with concerns from yesterday (Monday, April 6) regarding Bus 74. Please know that we take your concerns seriously, and we are investigating this situation completely. The highest priority of the Tuscaloosa County School System is the safety and well-being of our students.

The regular route driver was not on Bus 74 on Monday. A substitute driver was driving the route. The substitute who drove Bus 74 Monday did not drive the bus today (Tuesday) and will not drive this route again. The technology that is used to help substitute drivers know where to stop experienced technical difficulties Monday, resulting in significant delays on the route. When a bus is significantly behind schedule, it is our procedure to notify families. This did not happen yesterday. We have already taken steps to make sure these type notifications go out in a situation such as this one. This is certainly not our complete investigation of the situation, but just a brief initial assessment of some of the circumstances.

We also want to stress to our families an important safety concern. If you ever feel that your student is in danger on a bus or in one of our schools, call law enforcement immediately. We certainly understand the instinct to try to get to your child. However, if someone comes up to a bus and asks to take a student off, we cannot release the student, as this is a safety risk. Approaching a school bus, on foot or by vehicle, creates additional safety concerns. If you ever feel that your student is in immediate danger on a bus, call 911 immediately.  

Our families entrust our schools with their most precious resource – their children. Please know we hear and appreciate your concerns. Safety and training is already at the forefront of our transportation operations. However, anytime we have an incident that causes concern, it is a time to review our protocols and take any necessary corrective actions. That is what we are doing in this situation.

Sincerely,

Daniel Bray, Ph.D.

Superintendent