CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With the new school year less than one month away, many districts in the Charlotte area are starting online, but Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will have students back in the building for the first two weeks.
It's a decision that some bus drivers are concerned about when it comes to COVID-19. A long-time CMS driver is worried their life is at risk driving students to and from school because the students won't have their temperature taken until they arrive at school. The driver spoke to WCNC Charlotte out of fear of retribution.
“Safety is the first priority, and it’s clear that parents are at their wits end with having their students and children at home and that is a clear message, but at what cost,” said the driver.
There will be less students on the bus, but they won’t be screened for symptoms until after they ride, potentially exposing the driver and other students.
“It's really hectic not knowing where we stand as drivers because we make the school system keep rolling. without us, there would be no students, without having a plan or notifying the drivers I think that’s really unfair to just focus on the teachers the principals,” the driver said.
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Bus drivers are among the 2,100 district employees who essentially will not be needed once learning goes remote. Superintendent Earnest Winston says it costs $3.8 million every two weeks to pay those employees. They will be paid for the first two weeks of remote learning but after that, they’ll have to find creative ways to keep them working and on the payroll.
“We should be fine for a few weeks, but for an extended period of time, then we would have to have some additional conversations about how we would move forward,” Winston said at a school board meeting on July 15.
Students will be required to wear masks on board but the driver has concerns about having to enforce that while driving.
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