LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It was the third day of school for Jefferson County students and long lines of cars waited at Medora Elementary in Valley Station filled with anxious parents, grandparents and guardians.
Many have feelings of uncertainty as the district sorts out its transportation issues.
Keith McDonald was waiting to pick up his grandson.
"There is a cross guard down there but they're doing the best they can but it's just nobody wants to ride a bus they don't want their kid on a bus because they never know when they're going to get home," he said.
There was a congestion of cars due to one way in the school and one way out.
"Our parking lot is so small we can't get all the car riders in the parking lot," Angela Tingle, a parent said.
This left car riders with no choice but to wait.
"Well yesterday I waited an hour and 15 minutes just as a car rider, it’s that bad," McDonald said.
He wasn't the only one waiting very long. Tingle said she waited in line for about 40 minutes.
Those who have children in JCPS schools are hoping the district works out the long bus rides soon while other parents feel left in the dark.
Courtney Sklare lives in Lyndon and has two JCPS high school special needs students. Both attend the Phoenix School of Discovery on Wood Road and have not been assigned a bus.
“It seems like we’ve been ignored, but nothing has really been talked about – about our special needs kids,” she said. “The first time I ever heard from transportation was yesterday [Monday] and they offered me a gas card to help me out until they can provide us with transportation.
Sklare said she was not given a timeframe when her children would have a bus but hopes the commute to and from school is just a temporary fix.
"It's not just about the reimbursement for gas money, it's the time taken away from work for me and my family to help out and do this when they're supposed to be providing the transportation to begin with."
In the end, McDonald shares the general consensus with other parents – he wants his grandson to experience the bus ride and meet him at the bus stop instead of picking him up every day.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
►Sign up for the WHAS11 newsletter: "WHAS Up Kentuckiana." Get the latest headlines and videos from around Kentuckiana delivered daily to your inbox.