Rochester Superintendent: 9 more bus drivers resign, impacting routes for students with disabilities

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Nine more bus drivers for the Rochester City School District have resigned, Superintendent Lesli Myers-Small announced Tuesday during a Rochester School Board meeting.

Myers-Small said this will impact routes for students with disabilities, including Monroe Transportation 1 for 9 routes, which will impact 51 students, Ontario Bus Service’s 2 for 2 routes, which will impact seven students and First Student’s 6 for 8 routes, which will impact 112 students.

Myers-Small said there are 19 other unassigned routes, totaling 36 unassigned routes, impacting 174 students with disabilities.

After she made the announcement, Myers-Small asked to leave the meeting so that she and her team could address the new problem.

"There are many hands that are trying to make this work and we are literally working tirelessly to make sure we can get our scholars back," Myers-Small said.

The announcement comes as the district’s transportation crisis delayed its first day of classes to Thursday and announced plans to partner with Regional Transit Services as well as require some students to walk in an attempt to transport students.

A community meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8 at the First Genesis Baptist Church, which is located at 292 Hudson Ave. in Rochester. Board of Education Member Van White organized the meeting as a citizen rather than as a Board of Education Member.

White says Myers-Small will give transportation and other operational updates during the meeting, representatives from the transportation industry will discuss job opportunities and nonprofits and other community-based organizers will share their safe alternatives to bus transportation.