Morgan County Schools is facing severe bus route disruptions during its first week of classes due to a persistent shortage of three to four bus drivers.

To bridge the gap, the school board has approved an unusual measure allowing administrators—including the principal at Coalfield School—to step in and drive routes. District leaders say the shortage has also led to logistical errors, including a recent incident where a student was dropped off at the wrong school.

The crisis has been exacerbated by the closure of Petros Joyner this year due to budget constraints, which reassigned students and added new stops to an already strained transportation network.

Many rural households, particularly in the Deer Lodge and Chester Ridge areas, rely entirely on school transportation because they lack functioning vehicles or alternative transit. Route cancellations and last-minute driver shortages leave parents scrambling, and missed school days currently count as unexcused absences.

Filling open positions remains a challenge because bus driving is a part-time job requiring a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and months of specialized training, meaning new hires cannot solve the immediate crisis.