School districts struggle to bus homeless students amid bus driver shortages

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — From mask mandates to student quarantines, the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have impacted all aspects of school life on and off campus.

In Osceola County, one ongoing problem has only gotten worse.

WATCH: Osceola County schools keep masks optional for students despite rising cases

Transportation Director Arby Creach is spotlighting the number of Osceola County students considered members of what they call “families in transition,” meaning students that live in hotels, cars, in the woods or with relatives.

“Families in transition present a very unique challenge for us in transportation,” Creach said.

The challenge is coming up with a bus route to pick up the students, especially during a bus driver shortage.

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“We are tasked with finding out where that family has moved to. Get the students on the bus and back to school of origin as quickly as we possibly can,” he said.

This is easier said than done, however.

There are about 70,000 students enrolled in public school in Osceola County, and more than 3,500 are considered to be a part of families in transition.

WATCH: Here’s how Osceola County plans to keep students safe amid pandemic

“Some of these families will literally move overnight and we won’t know about the move until three days later,” Creach said. “Then we are scrambling to find a bus that can pick them up.”

It is a problem Creach anticipates will only worsen now that the eviction moratorium is over.

Osceola County School officials said they realize life can be unpredictable; however, whenever possible, parents need to let the district know about a move as soon as possible.

See more in the video above.

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