LAURENS COUNTY, S.C. — Students in Laurens County School District 55 will do their schoolwork from home on Monday, Nov. 9, as the district copes with a shortage of bus drivers and a wave of seasonal illness among staff.
Schools will be closed to students for the day, although principals and district office staff will still report in person. The work will be self-paced, with no live lessons or video classes. Teachers are expected to post assignments or contact parents by 9 a.m. Monday, and students will have five school days after they return to turn everything in.
Clubs, practices and athletic events scheduled after school will go on as planned, the district said.
The move follows a rough stretch for district transportation. On Friday morning, several buses were running nearly an hour late because drivers called out sick, and the district said the Gray Court and Waterloo areas were affected. More than a dozen buses were on the delayed list.
Families of regular bus riders were told they could drive their children in or have them stay home, and those absences would be excused. Buses also ran about 45 minutes behind schedule on Oct. 21 and Oct. 22.
District 55 has linked part of the shortage to an earlier policy that barred full-time employees from holding a second job within the district. It reported paying $160,998 in overtime last year to 13 employees who worked dual roles.
To hold on to drivers and recruit new ones, the district says it has raised hourly driver pay to 5% above state requirements, set a baseline schedule of 7.5 hours a day, allowed dual employment of up to 7.5 total hours and committed to paying all overtime that is earned. Daily route updates will keep going out to families by text, email and phone.
People interested in driving for the district can call its Human Resources Department at 864-984-3568.
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