DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Dozens of parents in DeKalb county were forced to pick up their students from school Friday after several bus routes were canceled. The cancellations stemmed from not enough drivers showing up for work.

Channel 2′s Elizabeth Rawlins confirmed that 56 drivers were absent. This disrupted the school day and even threatened to impact after-school activities like football.

“Yes, but we would have figured it out and gotten the players there,” said parent Les Psalmonds. “I got a note from the coach that said they didn’t have enough buses to take the students to the game tonight.”

Psalmonds said parents were put on standby to help with the transportation.

He says the district was able to find a bus and driver, but other parents in the district were not so lucky.

Parents at Montgomery Elementary School received an email Friday morning listing five buses that would not be picking up or dropping off students.

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“I was worried about all of the kids who would be left at the bus stop,” said parent Heather Tomlinson.

It’s unclear why 56 bus drivers were absent Friday, but this comes amid the ongoing shortage of bus drivers impacting many school systems around the country. There was already a shortage prior to the pandemic, and now it has only gotten worse.

In a statement to Channel 2, the DeKalb County school district says they are experiencing a shortage and their current drivers are working extra hours to get students to school safely and on time. Drivers have shared concerns with staff, and the district is addressing those concerns.

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