Camden City School District Offering $1,000 For Parents To Drive Kids To School Due To Bus Driver Shortage
CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) -- The region's bus driver shortage continues. The Camden City School District is the latest to ask families to help shoulder some of the burden.
Students are finally back in school but now, the problem is getting them there. The Camden City School District hopes it found a solution -- one that will offer relief quickly.
The struggle to find school bus drivers continues.
"Unfortunately, at this time, we are facing the challenge of transporting all of our students to our schools on a daily basis," Camden City School District Superintendent Katrina McCombs said.
The Camden City School District is getting creative and hopes money will make a difference.
The district is offering parents $1,000 to drive their kids to school.
Leaders hope the parent contract will help tackle the transportation issues surrounding the school year.
"Many of our parents have been resilient as they always are in finding creative ways to get their students to school, but it still creates a hardship for our families that they should not have to endure," McCombs said.
To qualify, you do have to meet certain requirements.
Your child must be eligible for transportation services and attend a Camden City school. You must also have a license and registration and have insurance with a $15,000 liability coverage.
The district also says it will provide monthly tickets for families who want to use New Jersey Public Transit, as long as they are with a household member 18 years and older.
"We know that this year is critical for us as a school district in Camden but so many others to ensure that we recover any skills that have been lost," McCombs said.
McCombs added the board and families are in this together and will continue to exhaust all options and solutions until students can get to and from school safely.
"We won't stop until we're able to ensure our students are in school," McCombs said.
The superintendent believes they should be able to start this very quickly.
For more information on the parent contract, click here. Parents can email transportation@camden.k12.nj.us for bus ticket information.
