LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Many Jefferson County Public School bus drivers called in sick on Friday. 

JCPS officials said 87 bus drivers called in sick today. 

Social media posts indicate those call-outs are not a coincidence. 

It appears to be an intentional “sick out”… in order to create changes in how the schools’ transportation system runs. 

JCPS’ communications team says on a typical Friday or Monday for the district, about 45 to 60 drivers will call out sick.  

On Friday, dozens more joined, putting the total at nearly 90. The district has about 575 bus drivers. That means approximately 15% were out for the day. 

It also means some students got to school late. 

 “We wish that this had just been a rumor because this means that our students are not in school and that hurts kids and it hurts families. We need our students to be in school so that we can help them succeed,” said Carolyn Callahan, JCPS Chief of Communications and Community Relations. “You cannot expect kids to succeed if they are not in the classroom. And if we cannot get our kids to and from school, that just hurts our families and our students.”

JCPS’ communication team also wanted to clear up any possible pay day confusion. 

Callahan said drivers who work on Monday will get paid.

 “It is a payday. So originally Monday was a day off of school, if you all might remember that. We added that day back after the issues that we faced in the beginning of the school year because we didn’t want students and staff to be working and going to school later on into the summer,” said Callahan.  

District leaders said that if the “sick out” continues… they will consider canceling routes on Monday. 

It’s what they are calling their “worst-case scenario”. 

“This hurts our students and our families,” she said. “It also hurts fellow bus drivers who show up to work today because they are picking up those extra routes. That’s how this works.”

Callahan said the district is aware transportation changes need to be made.

“Ripping out transportation completely from our students in the middle of the school year isn’t helping students, and it’s not helping families. So we are in the process of making big changes, but that is not a simple fix, and it’s not going to happen probably this school year.”

JCPS is encouraging parents and guardians to arrange alternative ways to get students to school on Monday in case there’s another ‘sick out.’

Spectrum News reached out to Teamsters Local Union 783. 

JCPS previously indicated that no changes to the current transportation plan were expected to occur until next year.