CCSD begins rolling blackout bus schedule

Until the Churchill County School District hires and trains more bus drivers, buses will operate on a rolling blackout schedule beginning Monday for regular routes until further notice.

Due to a shortage in staffing, CCSD is no longer meeting all transportation needs. The school district is looking at hiring incentives and other recruitment efforts in hopes of seeing a rise in bus driver applicants. This schedule will be in effect for the remainder of the 2023-24 school year.

According to CCSD spokesperson Kaitlin Ritchie, the district is making every effort to communicate with families and inform them when their bus route is affected.

“We recently sent families an email and text message regarding the blackout and the schedule through February,” Ritchie said. “To make sure our families are aware, drivers will distribute paper notices to students on Thursday of the week before their route will be on blackout.”

Ritchie said information regarding the blackout schedule may be found at churchillcsd.com on the Transportation Department’s webpage, and it’s pinned to the top of the district and transportation Facebook pages.

Ritchie said district will continue to communicate using email, telephone calls, and messaging to affected routes through the Stopfinder app.

“This decision was not an easy one to make but we are doing our very best to ensure we are communicating with families,” Superintendent Derild Parsons said. “It may seem repetitive, but we plan to continue to send messages home, print reminders in our local newspapers, and post to our Facebook page to be sure our families are aware of the blackout schedule.”

From Jan. 8-11, Ritchie said buses 41, 1, 16, and 24 will be on blackout. During this time, she said parents/guardians will need to make alternate transportation arrangements for their children. Parents are also encouraged to email stopfinder@churchillcsd.com with any questions.