JCPS prepares for return to school

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - JCPS has launched a new return-to-school website as the district plans to get the first wave of students back in classrooms Friday.

The district said parents should expect some buses to run late Friday but hopefully not as late as the first day.

“One of the biggest that we had last week was that not just was a bus late, but that when that bus was late, parents didn’t have a way to find out where their babies were,” JCPS Chief of Communications Carolyn Callahan said

The district said bus drivers have been out today doing dry runs to see which routes are still running behind. Immediate JCPS changes ahead of Friday include extra buses and vans on standby for students to avoid late drop-offs.

26 bus drivers have also requested “Shoulder Buddies” so far. These are JCPS employees who will ride on the bus providing GPS directions with access to a cell phone for communication. Although More than 200 JCPS employees volunteered to help in that role, JCPS is asking for parents to help as well.

“We do ask if you have other modes of transportation, if you can make those arrangements, we are encouraging you do that,” Callahan said. “We are working through this. We have 65,000 plus bus riders. A couple years ago, we had 900 or more bus drivers. We are down to fewer than 600 bus drivers with the same amount of kiddos that we are transporting safely.”

The district said they also plan to announce more on when parents will have access to the Edulog Parent Portal Lite app, which will show users when a school bus is scheduled to pick up and drop off their child in the coming week. Parents can turn on notifications to be alerted when a bus comes within a certain distance of their homes.

The start of JCPS Early Childhood programs has also been delayed for at least two weeks. It was supposed to start on Aug. 23.

Parents can call 485-RIDE to reach a call center where staff can tell you where their child’s bus is using the Edulog Parent Portal Lite App. JCPS said that the call center will remain open until the last student is dropped off.

The district asks that parents wait 30 to 45 minutes after their scheduled pick-up or drop-off time before they call.

They also ask that you contact your school first before calling the hotline.

“All of our school staff level folks will have access to the Edulog Parent Portal Lite App,” Callahan said. “They will have that, and they will be able to look up the bus and tell parents where that bus is. Also, folks in our call center will have access to that app.”

If you’re not happy with your child’s bus stop, you may have to wait for changes.

JCPS said it’s gotten thousands of bus stop request forms and they’re only prioritizing immediate safety issues.

“What we consider that is four lanes of traffic or more, having to go past a viaduct, having to cross a busy street, those were prioritized,” Callahan said. “Others will unfortunately not be gotten to until September.”

For more information on the back-to-school plan, click or tap here.

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