Jennifer Houston is a fed-up parent.
She said her 13-year-old daughter is extremely late coming home from College Park Middle School the majority of the week.
“She gets out at 4. She might not get home until 5:45, 6 o’clock,” she said.
Houston blames school bus issues she said have been a problem since the first day of school.
“Unacceptable because this is November almost and they should have had that situated before school got started,” said Houston.
She made calls to Orange County Public Schools and said she was told the reason for the delayed drop-offs is because some drivers are swamped.
That means students, including her daughter, have to sometimes wait for one route to be finished before they’re picked up and taken home.
“She should be able to get on her bus when she leaves school,” Houston said.
The school district said there are times when a bus driver has to cover two routes.
It’s a sign of an ongoing shortage of drivers months into the school year.
As of last week, the district had 40 vacant positions.
Houston said she hopes there is a quick fix.
“I’m almost done cooking dinner by the time she gets home. It’s ridiculous,” Houston said.
The district said it is always looking for drivers and encourages people to apply on the school district’s website.
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