Nell Holcomb figuring out how to run school buses during coronavirus

Most schools are required to provide bus transportation for students, even if the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t run its course.

The small, rural Nell Holcomb District in eastern Cape Girardeau County isn’t sure how it will carry out the mandate when classes resume Aug. 24.

“This is one of our main concerns, definitely,” said Nell Holcomb’s Bleau Deckerd, who became school superintendent one year ago July 1.

“We’re going to form a task force and hash this and the other things (related to reopening) out,” added Deckerd, who previously served on the administrative staff of the Jackson School District for three years. Before that, he served as superintendent of Altenburg in Perry County for eight years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended to school administrators the following:

• Clean and disinfect frequently-touched surfaces on school buses at least daily or between uses as much as possible.
• Bus drivers should wear cloth masks and practice frequent hand-washing.
• Increase distance between students on buses by seating one student per row in every other row of seats when possible.

Deckerd is most concerned about the third CDC guideline.

To follow the guideline to the letter would cost money Nell Holcomb doesn’t have.

“To follow (CDC’s guideline) means we have to add at least another route,” Deckerd said, “and it’s just not an option because financially we’re not there.”

Deckerd said he’s thankful Hawks proposition to increase the district’s property tax by 47 cents passed June 2, but said the $190,000 annually the hike is expected to generate will end up keeping the district level financially.

“We expect the state’s funding cut, which hits every district in Missouri, may mean a loss of as much as $200,000 in annual revenue to us,” said Deckerd, whose district is kindergarten through eighth grade.

Nell Holcomb’s students, Deckerd explained, may attend any high school in any district bordering Cape Girardeau once they finish at the 260-student school on Highway 177.

Approximately 65% of Nell Holcomb’s graduates end up at Jackson High School. Most of the remaining 35% matriculate at Cape Girardeau Central.

“We run a total of six routes,” Deckerd said, “and we have approximately 40 students per bus.”

Even if finding money to run additional buses wasn’t a problem, there’s an employment issue, too.

“Finding (bus) drivers is tough now as it is,” Deckerd said.

A silver lining for Nell Holcomb is one-third of its students are already dropped off and picked up at school by their parents or grandparents.

“We may have to encourage more drop-offs and pick-ups because of our situation,” Deckerd said.

The CDC guidelines, released May 19, also suggest school districts stagger bus arrival and parent drop-off times “as much as possible.”