CLARK COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Bus drivers in Clark County held a walkout Tuesday to get district administrators to pay attention to their concerns about safety on school buses. The district held an NTI Day, saying it was due to a large number of staff absences, especially with transportation.
“When you feel like you're not being heard, sometimes you have to do things to make people hear you,” said bus driver Greg Gukeisen.
He explained other bus drivers received threats from students, one of the many issues he said administrators needed to address.
Administrators met with drivers for over two hours Tuesday inside a county middle school.
A different driver, who asked LEX18 not to use his name, said drivers expressed to administrators that they were unhappy with a lack of consistency from the district when it comes to discipline concerning students' actions on buses.
Gukeisen said drivers have not received proper support from the district.
When asked if the student's parents made threats, Gukeisen was told the situation was "under litigation, and I can't say anything about it but yeah.”
LEX 18 asked to attend the meeting between drivers and administrators.
A school staff member, after speaking with Superintendent Dr. Molly McComas, told LEX18 to wait outside the school where the meeting was taking place. Three hours later, a school staff member said McComas had left through a back door.
Her office later provided LEX18 with the following statement: “We had staff out with illness and other issues. This provides us an opportunity to meet with different groups including transportation. We have reviewed plans and hope to be in school tomorrow.”
While declining an interview request, when reached by phone she said she never intended to come out to speak to the reporters who were waiting outside.
Multiple drivers said they left the meeting feeling better. One said administrators during the meeting committed to being more consistent with student disciplinary referrals. They are also planning to form groups to investigate driver concerns, Gukeisen said.
“We got to sit down to talk with the superintendent,” Gukeisen said. “She’s very supportive of us and I believe what she told us in there that everything will turn out for the best.”
