UTICA, NY – Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente sent a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday asking the state for emergency aid to address a shortage of bus drivers in Rome due to a buildup of COVID cases.
On Thursday, Rome City School District Superintendent Peter Blake said students would switch to distance learning from October 1 to October 11 because of more than 20 cases of COVID among the 70 bus drivers at First Student.
Picente says this abrupt change in student timetables is a hardship for parents and should not be an acceptable alternative.
Utica schools face similar challenges, and Picente seeks government help before the situation gets worse.
The letter reads in part: “I ask you to take immediate action to alleviate this crisis. Whether it’s using the National Guard to drive buses or asking school districts to change opening hours to stay open, I’m open to discussion and not a valid solution. I ask you to take steps to put our children’s education first. For too long, their needs have been treated as secondary in this pandemic. “
Read Picente’s full letter to the governor below:
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