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MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCSC) - The Berkeley County School District said students from nine schools can expect issues Monday if they ride school buses.
Drivers gathered Monday morning near the Berkeley County School District headquarters in Moncks Corner but declined a request to speak with reporters.
The district says they’re having issues with a worker shortage with the Berkeley transportation lot.
That lot serves nine schools:
- Berkeley Elementary
- Berkeley Intermediate
- Berkeley Middle
- Berkeley High School
- Cane Bay Elementary
- Cane Bay Middle
- Cane Bay High
- Foxbank Elementary School
- Whitesville Elementary School
This comes after more than two dozen bus drivers for that lot went on strike Friday to protest working conditions.
Drivers said they wanted an enforced mask mandate, equal treatment to other teachers and staff and extra pay for picking up extra routes.
One driver said they have been stressed and overworked to their breaking point. An organizer of the protest said Friday some drivers are doing two or three routes a day and they’re “just getting tired.”
“We are not being heard. We are addressing it, but we are not being heard, so today, we would like to discuss being fair to us because of our loyalty to Berkeley County,” Yvonne Williams said.
District Superintendent Deon Jackson posted a statement on the district’s website:
We recognize how much we are relied upon to get students to our schools and back home safely. We will continue to operate our buses with every driver available, but do ask for assistance from our parents and guardians to provide or arrange transportation for their children, if they are able.
If district bus service is your only option, parents can check the district’s website for updates on bus delays.
Updates are posted each day beginning at 5:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m., the site states.
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