After bus delays contributed to a disastrous first day and a six-day closure for Jefferson County Public Schools, the district is making some changes as it prepares to welcome students back.JCPS is having students return in a staggered reopening plan, with elementary and middle coming back on Friday, Aug. 18. and high school students on Monday, Aug. 21.At a press conference Monday evening, superintendent Marty Pollio laid out adjustments to the transportation plan. Long term, the district will revamp all the bus routes, which Pollio says they will work on in the fall.But, one immediate change is having vans help take younger students home or back to school if no one gets them from their stops. The vans will also be at bus depots to transport late students.School leaders say this will allow drivers to continue their routes and keep buses on time.맥스카지노�We want to do everything possible to keep the routes marching on and moving,맥스카지노� said Pollio. 맥스카지노�Right now, we're working through exact specifics, but our goal is to tell the bus driver to continue on with the route, and the van would meet them in two or three stops to pick them up.맥스카지노�The district is also implementing "shoulder buddies," which Pollio says some drivers have requested.JCPS staff members or extra bus drivers will ride along on the longest, most challenging routes with a GPS or cell phone assisting drivers with navigation.Bus union president John Stovall says the role is similar to a bus monitor, and he is on board with this addition.맥스카지노�I think it'll help because the driver's primary goal is to keep their eyes on the road and make sure it's a safe route,맥스카지노� said Stovall. 맥스카지노�If you have an extra adult on the bus, that helps because they can handle some of the issues on the bus that takes the bus driver's eyes away from the road in front of them.맥스카지노�Many wonder if this is possible amid a district-wide staffing shortage. Pollio says he believes the district will need 75 shoulder buddies to assist drivers for about two weeks.Stovall says at least on their end, with around 600 bus drivers, it should work.맥스카지노�If they have the surplus of drivers they're claiming they have, you'll have some of those drivers on standby, and some of them may be able to fill that gap too as well,맥스카지노� he said.Stovall says he has faith this modified bus plan will work, and he appreciates that bus drivers are now being heard.맥스카지노�All the bad that's happened, good came out of it because now the dialogue's open, conversations are being had, and people are being listened to, so that's going to help,맥스카지노� said Stovall.JCPS맥스카지노� full list of the temporary changes to the busing plan includes: We will implement technology allowing parents and schools to know where a student's bus is during the ride to and from school. We will provide families with instructions on how to use this technology soon. We will have JCPS vans and drivers available to take elementary students home or back to school when they don't have an adult waiting at a stop. This will allow drivers to continue their routes without returning to the original school. We will provide an extra bus or van at depots to take students home when/if they arrive late to the depot so all other depot buses can continue their routes without waiting for one or two final buses to arrive. There will be an additional JCPS staff member with a cell phone and GPS on buses with the longest, most challenging routes to help with directions and communicate with schools and bus compounds when a bus runs excessively late. We will reduce the length of routes with lots of stops, starting with afternoon runs. All elementary and middle school families who need Special Needs Transportation will receive a phone call by Wednesday evening with their transportation information.