VONORE, Tenn. — Parents at Vonore Elementary School say they're still frustrated over a lack of bus routes for the second year in a row.
Kristi Windsor, Director of Monroe County Schools said, "Nothing has changed on our end."
WBIR reached out to Monroe County Schools asking what they are doing to get more bus drivers, how many they need, and how parents are being notified. Their response is available below.
"Our stance on transportation continues to be the same as the last time you did this story, and the previous times, as well. Nothing has changed on our end. We have been and will continue to advertise and award bus routes to any qualified contractor who has a bus and a driver to service the route(s) for which they apply."
Earlier this month, WBIR also asked about a bus driver shortage, and they provided us with a list of bus routes.
The year previously, they cited a national bus driver shortage as the cause of why bus services were diminished compared to prior years. Still, some parents say this isn't enough.
"I just don't understand why we're going two years without buses," said Louise Vance, a parent of a student at Vonore Elementary School. "We pay wheel, taxes, we pay our taxes. And it's ridiculous that we don't have no buses."
One parent said he and his wife have to alternate taking the night shift so they can take their son to school.
"This is a manufacturing town, there's a lot of people that got to be at work at five, six o'clock in the morning," said Caleb Smart, a parent." You can't drop your kid off at school until 7 a.m. So, that puts a lot of people under a lot of pressure."