CINCINNATI — The Northwest Local School District will be closed for students Friday because they don't have enough bus drivers.
The school district announced the closure on its website, saying it exhausted all its options to keep school open but have to close "due to excessive staff absences in our transportation department."
"This is bad. It's bad. Our students need to be in classes," said parent James Woodson.
He said this decision worries him, and he feels the district did have other options.
"That's going to affect a lot of our students," Woodson said. "I think we could have went remote, I mean, hey, we've done that in the past during the Covid times, we've done that -- by now we should be professionals at that, I mean it's so easy to do."
Though while parents like Woodson question the decision to cancel classes, some parents like Jamie Schaffer aren't bothered.
"It is what it is, honestly," Schaffer said. "There's nothing they can do. What are we supposed to do when everybody will be dropping off their kid? The parking lot's going to be a nightmare."
All extracurricular activities will continue, the district said.
Non-public schools and off-site Butler Tech students within the district are not affected by this closure. Staff at the school should still report at the normal time.
"They didn't want to cancel classes for anybody, but we just don't have enough drivers to get our kids to school," Shaffer said.
A statement on the school's website provided additional child care options: "We don’t make decisions like this lightly because we know the impact it can have on our families. We considered multiple options, but unfortunately, they were not feasible, requiring us to take drastic measures. The YMCA will be available to offer services to families tomorrow. Their number is 513-923-4466."
Bus cancellations are nothing new for the district. With so few drivers, NWLSD updates its website weekly so parents can plan ahead. It's broken down by the day and shows the canceled routes and the schools they serve.
In the past, the district has tried pulling out all the stops to keep the wheels rolling. In 2021, NWLSD went the extra mile offering $1,000 sign-on bonuses to new drivers. But despite the efforts, the shortage has continued. Before Thursday's decision, the district had already canceled 31 routes for the week.
"Our efforts to find bus drivers is a priority," the district said.
NWLSD asks anyone interested in applying to be a bus driver to click here.
The district serves approximately 9,000 students from Colerain, Green, Ross and Springfield townships.
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