School buses are compact and often crowded spaces filled with rowdy students. Buses can also be a perfect place for the transmission of COVID-19. Our bus drivers are saddled with the responsibility of keeping these kids in line, safe on the road, and more recently in line with COVID-19 safety protocols. Already swamped, bus drivers now have an entirely new level of responsibility over students. Drivers are putting themselves under large amounts of stress.
Catherine Shannon, a bus driver of 10 years, described how her driving experience has changed in a brief interview. “We had the masks, and separated students, and you know last year we had the split schedule,” Shannon said while waiting in the bus lot for students. “It’s been very different.”
Kimberlee Gragg, who has been a school bus driver for 20 years and currently drives a bus for EC students echoed a similar sentiment, describing the greatest difficulties on her bus.
“Sometimes my students don’t understand why they need to keep their masks on,” Gragg said while preparing to load her bus.
Gragg also drives younger students to and from school.
“Sometimes my little ones will struggle to keep them up because it’s hot.” Gragg also talked about the new sanitation requirements for buses and mentioned that, “there’s a lot more cleaning this year,” mainly wiping down seats.
As COVID surges throughout Watauga and the rest of the high country, buses continue to be a transmission risk. With the COVID situation always changing and since it looks like it will be around for much of the foreseeable future, bus drivers will continue to work tirelessly to keep students safe.
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