Some Jackson County students had the day off from school Tuesday. The School Board’s Transportation Department said heavy rain made some of the area’s dirt roads too dangerous for bus travel. Officials told parents busses would only pick up on paved roads.
Rex Suggs, Director of Transportation at Jackson County Schools, says the decision was made for the safety of the children.
"Those roads get very slippery and slick, and it can become a problem sometimes when you’re trying to go down with a big old bus," Suggs says. "And then you got other traffic that’s going down there, and sometimes you’re having to squeeze as it is even on a great day. It was just a safety precaution."
Another concern Suggs has is for the busses themselves.
"When a bus gets stuck in the clay or it slides into a ditch it's not an easy thing to get them out," Suggs says. "It's delaying children and they might have to get off the bus to stand outside and then the rain might come again so now they're getting soaking wet while waiting to get the bus out of there or bring a spare down there and pray it doesn't get stuck."
Suggs says due to a break in the rainy weather, bussing should be back to normal for the rest of the week. All students who missed school on Tuesday will be given an excused absence.
