ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. — Several St. Tammany Parish Public Schools bus drivers called out this afternoon, leaving school leaders and parents scrambling to get students home after school.
According to a St. Tammany Parish Public Schools spokesperson, 62 of the 398 daily buses called out sick, 14 schools are affected.
School leaders sent out robocalls asking affected parents to pick up their children from school if they are able, but said they will get all children who can't be picked up home safely.
"We reassured parents that if their child did need to ride the bus they would get home safely but there might be delays," STPPS Director of Communications Meredith Mendez said.
She added that they are working to cover all bus routes, but since some drivers will be handling multiple routes the buses may be running late.
This comes after a meeting where the St. Tammany Federation of Teachers and School Employees rejected an offer from the St. Tammany Parish School District to increase bus driver pay. Bus drivers called the proposal "insultingly low," according to our partners at The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate.
Bus drivers in St. Tammany say their pay has not kept up with the rising costs of bus upkeep and the strain COVID-19 has had on them.
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