Kent County Students Dealing With No-Show Buses, Bad Driver Behavior, Parents Say

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Kent County students think their schools are great, but so far this year, they're finding some bumps along the road.

"For the first three days of school, my bus never showed up in the mornings," says student Leanna Hardin. "And in the afternoons, if we didn't know where we were going, we probably wouldn't have gotten home."

While most parents worry about kids missing the bus, Kent County parents have been concerned about the bus missing the kids. They have a laundry list of complaints about about the bus drivers, ranging from late buses and missed stops to bad driver behavior.

As Pat Warren reports, the school system is using a new contractor.

"Today the bus comes, it rolls right on by and keeps on going," says parent Sherry Williams. She went so far as to make a large sign that says: "23090 K.C.H.S. BUS STOP." She placed it next to her driveway.

According to another parent, Carl Hardin, "One kid that was let out yesterday, the bus driver said, 'I don't know where I'm at. I don't know where I'm at and if you wouldn't mind, would you just get off the bus?'"

Hardin and Williams are among the parents demanding answers. Superintendent Nancy Couch tells WJZ they're working on it.

"I'm not at liberty to provide all the details at this time but I just want our parents and our community to know that it has been and will continue to be a priority," says Superintendent Karen Couch. "Our children deserve much better."

The solution may include having staff and assistants ride with the new drivers to teach them the way.

The schools will also help students make up for time lost for late buses and no-shows. There are seven public schools in Kent County, serving just over 2,000 students.

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