Atlanta school bus drivers call for district to enforce mask mandate for students

ATLANTA — Bus drivers for Atlanta Public Schools are calling on district leaders to enforce a mask mandate for students who ride on their buses.

Students in pre-K through second grade who chose to participate with in-person learning will return to class on Monday morning. Students in grades second through 12th will phase in February.

[SPECIAL SECTION: COVID-19 Vaccine in Georgia]

For those students who aren’t getting a ride to school, their first point of contact will be with their bus drivers.

Channel 2′s Michael Seiden spoke with more than a dozen drivers on Sunday during a Zoom call, who are worried about their safety and believe the district isn’t doing enough to protect them.

The drivers told Seiden that two of their colleagues have passed away from COVID-19 complications. The district said it could not comment on the drivers names because of HIPPA.

RELATED STORIES

• Cobb County School District leaders have ‘blood on their hands,’ teacher’s family says
• APS educators say they are being forced to choose between their lives, jobs

Marcus has been driving students for more than 25 years.

“We’re supposed to be safe. But it’s impossible to tell me that I am going to be safe when you are telling me that I have no limitations on how many students can actually get on the bus,” he said.

Elizabeth has driven buses for the past three years and like her colleagues on the Zoom, she’s upset there isn’t a mask mandate for students who are riding the bus.

“They’re telling us if a child is at the bus stop with no mask, we have to let them on the bus. We can’t deny them any ride.”

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Some of the other drivers didn’t want to show their faces because they are afraid their jobs would be put in jeopardy. They told Seiden that they could have as many as 70 kids on their bus any given day, making it impossible to socially distance.

“On the south side we are already overloaded on buses,” one driver said. “Even if we are already at half the capacity of students coming back to school, that’s still anywhere to 30 kids on the elementary side.”

The drivers also told Seiden there are major concerns when it comes to PPE, especially for the older drivers who have underlying conditions.

Channel 2 Action News reached out to the school district for comment Sunday, but the district said they would provide us with more information on Monday. In the past, APS has said.

“The health of our students, teachers, and staff is paramount and we take our decision to offer the option for in-person learning very seriously.”

The bus drivers meanwhile told Seiden they’re still waiting to get the COVID-19 vaccine and with a surge in COVID-19 cases, they believe the district should continue with all virtual learning.

Channel 2 Action News will be following up with the school district on Monday.

[LINK: Where to find the COVID-19 vaccine in Georgia]