Obituary: Reverend William H. Pape

RAVENA-COEYMANS-SELKIRK — The RCS school district is continuing to operate under a severe bus driver shortage.

The district is eight to ten drivers short of being fully staffed, which is actually an improvement over previous times, according to a statement from the district.

Transportation is not only a vital part of getting students to and from home, it is also how athletes safely travel from school to away games, according to the district.

“We are doing our best to provide transportation service to all components of our school programs and have not yet had to cancel 10th-period transportation or any away games this season,” according to a statement from RCS. “The Transportation Department has had to make difficult choices in order to get our students where they need to go, when they need to get there.”

Here are some steps the district has taken behind the scenes to make transportation run smoothly: 

• Every member of the transportation department, including mechanics, dispatchers, the assistant director, and the director, has been driving to fill in the empty driver seats.
• There are combined sports runs in lieu of canceling away games. This means two or more teams (with their coaches) are transported to the same or different school districts for their competitions. The district has also capitalized on the transportation departments of neighboring schools to provide transportation for athletes.
• Current features in the Stopfinder app are being utilized to better inform families of the location and timelines for their child’s arrival home. There are more features on the horizon.

The number one priority is the safety of all passengers on school buses, according to the district.

Here are some things the district is working on to alleviate the obstacles that have been affected by the severe bus driver shortage.  

• Communication with families will be improved.
• A student attendance system will be introduced in the near future. This feature will digitally record attendance on each route and also has the ability to notify guardians through the Stopfinder app when their student is on the bus. This information will be used to make bus routes more efficient with the possibility of reducing route times. More information will be provided to families when this feature is fully tested.
• Adding additional contracted runs may be considered to help ease the pressure on the current driving force. However, contract transportation companies are experiencing the same shortages.
• Drivers will continue to be recruited for open positions. 

The district said they are aware that some of the bus routes are lengthy, with students riding for long periods of time. If your family is no longer using the district’s bus service, please let the Transportation Department know. This will alleviate the amount of stops a driver must make during each route. If you would like to return to using transportation services, let the district know and they will resume pick-ups for your student.  

If you have any questions about your student’s transportation, you can use the Who to Contact and When guide located on the second page of the district’s wall calendar. This guide was created to help ensure that questions and concerns from the community are addressed in the most efficient and effective manner possible, according to the district. It outlines who you should contact first for information in a particular area, as well as the next steps if your concern is not addressed.

Families are also encouraged to download the Stopfinder app where you can receive notifications and updates related to your student’s transportation, school closing/delays, scheduled day off reminders, and more. Through the Stopfinder app, you can also send private messages to Ravena Coeymans Selkirk CSD Transportation Department. 

Anyone interested in becoming a bus driver should visit the district’s website at rcscsd.org.