Del Valle ISD releasing elementary schools early on Fridays

Del Valle ISD says that this change is due to a shortage in bus drivers and will remain in place until further notice.

DEL VALLE, Texas - Until further notice, Del Valle ISD will continue to release students at its nine elementary schools 20 minutes early on Fridays.

This dismissal plan was put into place at the beginning of October due to the school district's shortage in bus drivers. Currently Del Valle ISD is down by around 10 bus drivers which has created an obvious staffing shortage for its routes on Friday.

"The main reason for this was to assist our bus routes on Friday afternoons. We have additional routes running due to athletics activities so by moving just about 20 minutes early, that helps us have additional drivers for the later routes available," said Christopher Weddle, executive director of communications for Del Valle ISD.

This will continue only for elementary students until further notice. Weddle says Fridays are the busiest days of the week for a multitude of reasons.

"The biggest reason Fridays are a little busier is because of athletics. We also have an after school program that runs Monday to Thursday so we have additional students that ride the bus at the normal dismissal time on Fridays," he said.

That extra 20 minutes will help drivers get to their secondary route quicker so they are able to complete it all.

"The discussion was really just how we can help on the Friday evening routes, which is where we have those additional routes. The solution was just by a minor adjustment. Being able to move these elementary routes a little earlier just frees up some more time later in the day for our drivers," said Weddle.

Anyone interested in becoming a bus driver for Del Valle ISD can click here for more information.

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