NOTTINGHAM, MD—As Baltimore County officials work to address the school bus driver shortage by creating incentives for drivers, BCPS officials are warning parents of possible driver call-outs.

Baltimore County Public Schools officials sent the following email to parents at the end of last week:

“Dear Parents and Guardians:

We have learned that some Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) bus drivers and bus attendants may organize a ‘call out’ that will impact school bus service [this] week. We want to make you aware of the possibility of disruption to transportation services for BCPS students so you are prepared to provide a different form of transportation for your child if there are any interruptions or delays.

BCPS is working to hire additional drivers who will help fill in the gaps and cover several routes. Additionally, on Tuesday, November 9, we announced with the county government plans to boost recruitment and retention of school bus drivers. Under this new plan—which is just one of many actions the system is taking to address this shortage—BCPS is offering cash rewards, sign-on bonuses and retention bonuses. Baltimore County government will cover the costs of fingerprinting for bus drivers and attendant applicants and provide funding to address other pre-employment barriers.

We know that these call outs are extremely disruptive and impact our ability to provide timely transportation service to the BCPS community. We will continue to work together to find solutions and address needs.

Please know that BCPS will be monitoring the situation all week and will provide you with updates if routes can’t be covered or buses will be late. If you do plan on driving your child to school, please be prepared for longer drop off and pick up lines. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we continue to navigate the challenges of this nationwide bus driver shortage.”