Shifting the start of school to a later time in Lower Merion School District starting in the fall has caused some unexpected logistical challenges when it comes to the school bus schedule, writes Maddi Hanna for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

High schoolers in the district will be starting at 8:30 a.m. instead of 7:30 a.m., but there may not be enough school bus drivers to accommodate the change.

To handle the bus driver shortage, The Lower Merion School District has proposed stopping busing for about 500 kids, but this idea concerns parents.

The plan is to expand the walk zone for Lower Merion High School from 1 to 1.5 miles.

Parents say they were never told that this would be one of the consequences of the schedule change and are worried about their children’s safety.

A group of parents have organized an opposition to the expanded walk zone. They have been researching pedestrian accidents and advocating for other alternatives like consolidating bus stops or working with third-party providers.

Superintendent Steve Yanni said there is currently 12 driver vacancies, and the district will need to hire 20 drivers for the fall.

Read more about what Lower Merion School District is proposing to accommodate the bus drive shortage in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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