COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Parents in Cobb County say school buses are running so late that their kids are missing valuable classroom time.

And it’s not just going to school. Some students are also coming home later than scheduled.

Channel 2′s Chris Jose said the problem has left families scrambling for a solution.

Those families told Jose that they have been reaching out to the school district every single day this week.

When they got no response back they called Jose.

Jose then asked the district if there’s a bus driver shortage.

“We really didn’t like the fact that they missed class,” parent Robert Palmer said.

He has a son who started middle school this week. Getting him there has been challenging.

“To have to wait hours at that point is inconvenient and a lot of times, parents can’t wait. And in some cases, children have been stranded,” Palmer said.

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Every day this week, Jose heard from parents like Palmer who say the buses have been running late. They told Jose it’s just as bad on the way home.

“I get an email at 6 o’clock that says, ‘Hey, the bus is still not here.’ So the bus has not even got to the school. ‘You can come pick up your kid if you like,’” Palmer said.

Jose checked it out for himself. He went to Lindley Middle School. Classes end at 4:15 p.m. and shot video of buses leaving close to 6 p.m.

Channel 2′s cameras were also there on Monday morning when the buses left for the first day of school before the sun came up.

“This really could’ve been mitigated with communication. I think that’s what really has been missing,” Palmer said.

On Friday, Jose asked the district why the buses are late, if there’s a shortage of drivers and how many positions need to be filled.

A spokesperson did not answer those specific questions but did provide a statement that says:

“We continue to recruit bus drivers throughout the school year to join our award-winning transportation department. safety-minded professionals interested in joining our team can learn more here. We ask for patience as the community and our drivers adjust to the increased traffic and new routes. families can track their bus using the here comes the bus app.”

“I’ve been tracking it every single day, and even yesterday, he would’ve gotten home probably 45 minutes after he should have,” Palmer said.

On the district’s website, the transportation department said it is hiring full time drivers, subs and bus monitors.

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