LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A Southwest Ohio school district is scrambling to get students to and from school after its bus drivers went on strike for the second day.

What You Need To Know

  • Bus drivers and bus service workers from Lakota Local School District went on strike on Friday over the use of video recordings

  • As of Tuesday morning, the Teamsters Local 100 union representing the bus service workers had still not come to an agreement with Petermann, the district's bus servicer

  • The district has been using substitute bus drivers to try and get students to and from school 

Missy Longworth has been a special needs bus monitor for the last six years, but now, being on the picket line is her job. 

“We don't want to be out here,” she said. 

She’s been on strike near the bus yard in Liberty Township since Friday.

“Friday, to me, was an experience, but I'd much rather be back on the bus with my kids. I'm having the parents call and say, where are you when you're coming back? I'm ready to go back. we just wait. We're waiting for the call,” said Longworth.

She’s one of about 225 bus drivers and bus service workers from Lakota Local Schools waiting for the call to go back to work. Their union says it comes down to one main issue, the use of video recordings.

“There's a lot of misconceptions about this being over the cameras.  The cameras have been in existence in the buses for years and years and years and for multiple contracts. The big sticking point we're having with the cameras is what they can use the footage for in regards to discipline,” said Teamsters Local 100 President Bill Davis. 

Davis says they are willing to negotiate with Petermann, the district’s bus service provider, but as of Tuesday morning, no agreement had been reached.

“A federal mediator did reach out to us to try and schedule something for tomorrow, and we have not heard. The company has not responded yet, so we're waiting to see if they're available,” said Davis. 

In a previous statement, Petermann says in part, that having more access to bus video is vital to addressing safety and employee performance issues.

In the meantime, the school district is scrambling to fill the transportation gap. Tuesday morning substitute drivers were behind the wheel.

“We all want to be driving their kids to school. we don't want other drivers doing what we love to do,” said Longworth, "We've all stand strong, and that's the way we're going to keep it.

The Lakota school district superintendent posted information to parents saying they will be extending parent pick-up and drop-off times during the strike and will not count students late if they are unable to get transportation.