UPDATED: Driver shortage shuts down Ky. school district. State sees 35 recent closures.

In a website alert, Bath County officials announced they had closed schools on Friday “due to the inability to cover all bus routes.”

There will be no instruction, officials for the Owingsville schools said.

School bus driver shortages have more rarely been cited as a reason for school closures, but it is a serious problem across Kentucky and has seemingly worsened during the pandemic.

Staff shortages are compounding COVID issues at other districts.

Harrison and Perry County School superintendents have made last-minute decisions to close schools with no instruction under the strain of rising staff coronavirus cases.

By Friday morning, at least 35 Kentucky school districts had shut down for various time periods this school year with no learning.

Harrison County schools in Central Kentucky are open Friday but closed all next week. Superintendent Harry Burchett said, “We are constantly adjusting to the strain.” He said the days will be made up at the end of the year.

Even though the Harrison County staff is 75 percent vaccinated, coronavirus cases continue to rise, Burchett said.

Schools already struggling to fill vacant positions and hire substitute employees are now “saddled” with COVID absences, Burchett said. The more than 241 active cases in the community are some of the highest numbers since the pandemic began, he said.

“The escalation of cases and increased cases is beginning to have a detrimental effect on the safe and orderly operations of school,“ he said.

Perry County in Eastern Kentucky is closed Friday. Superintendent Jonathan Jett said he had “extremely high numbers” of sick staff.

“We could not properly supervise students and ensure their safety,” Jett said.

Fayette County Public Schools has managed to stay open but had to cancel 19 bus routes Friday as it has other days since schools opened in mid-August.

The other Kentucky districts that have closed this school year include Mayfield Independent, Paris Independent, Montgomery County, Marion, Clinton, Rockcastle, Ashland Independent, Spencer, Wolfe, Clay, Berea Independent, Crittenden, Marshall, Russell, Casey, Carter, Franklin, Owsley, Knott, Powell, Pike, Lee, Leslie, Jenkins Independent, Carroll, Greenup, Letcher, Russellville Independent, Fairview Independent, Edmonson, Marion and Magoffin.

Some districts have reverted to the at-home learning that marked nearly all of 2020. But many are offering no instruction because they have a limited number of state-approved non-traditional instruction or NTI days.

Gov. Andy Beshear is expected to call a special session of the General Assembly next week to help school districts deal with the raging pandemic as they try to remain open.

This story was originally published September 2, 2021 at 6:27 PM.