LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jefferson County Public Schools elementary and middle school students went back to school Friday after last week’s transportation problems.

What You Need To Know

  •  Jefferson County Public Schools elementary and middle school students went back to school Friday

  •  High school students will return for the first time on Monday

  •  Eli Mendlesohn is a member of a split household and needs two bus stops, but he currently has one

  • Eli's mother, Deanne, has called the school over ten times to resolve the problem

Some high school parents still have lingering questions before those students return on Monday.

Louisville Male High School freshman Eli Mendelsohn is a member of a split household. So, he needs a bus stop at his mother and father’s house. Since the end of July, his mother has placed over ten phone calls to the district to get him the bus stops he needs.

Deanne Ratterman said she spent weeks trying to figure how her son Eli Mendelsohn was going to get to school every day.

“We’ve been working on this since several weeks before school started and we noticed the bus stop was not on the JCPS bus finder website,” Ratterman said. 

She said Eli’s stepmom called the Moore Bus Compound, who told her that JCPS will not be providing transportation for two addresses for families that are spilt households.

“We were told on Wednesday that they will now not be adding a bus stop for a secondary location and that secondary location, which is his father’s address. He is there 50% of the time,” she said. 

Then she said she contacted Eli’s school, who told her that students can in fact have more than one bus stop

“She has never heard that there is a rule or guideline that you cannot have two bus stops for one child with regards to kids that have dual households,” she said. 

The school district said on Friday the best solution was to call your child’s school.

“You can also call your school if, for instance, you’re missing a bus stop or your kid is running really super late. As I said, you know, you call the school and ask them and they can track down where that bus is as well,” said Mark Hebert, communications manager at JCPS. 

Something Ratterman said she has been doing for weeks. She said it’s been very confusing and upsetting.

“It’s an awful feeling to know that your son can’t get to school. I work full time and his father works full time, you know. I don’t know what we are going to do,” Ratterman said. 

Finally, Friday afternoon she says she got an email from the executive administrator of transportation that said she would have a stop added, but it won’t be ready for Monday, the first day back. 

She said she hopes they follow through. 

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