WILLIAMSBURG — In an effort to fix ongoing transportation issues that have caused significant delays at the schools, Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools (WJCC) will make temporary changes to school hours.
Starting Monday, Sept. 20 through Thursday, Sept. 30, the division will test out a 5-10 minute change to school start and end times to allow more time for bus drivers to get to and from school.
Sept. 20-30, the hours for Jamestown, Lafayette and Warhill High Schools will be 7:15 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Lois S. Hornsby, James Blair, Berkeley and Toano Middle Schools’ hours will be 8 a.m. – 2:50 p.m.
D.J. Montague, James River and Stonehouse Elementary Schools’ hours will be 8:55 a.m. – 3:25 p.m.
Clara Byrd Baker, J. Blaine Blayton, Laurel Lane, Matoaka, Matthew Whaley, and Norge Elementary Schools will go from 9:40 a.m. to 4:10 p.m.
Bright Beginnings preschool hours will not change during the two-week period.
The announcement came in a Sept. 13 release, in which WJCC noted that, while timing is improving, delays are still occurring at many of the elementary and middle schools.
“When bus drivers are covering more than one route or making multiple “runs” at one school, there is a domino effect leading to extended wait times for afternoon pickups at other schools,” the release said.
While the division noted that it is actively recruiting and training new bus drivers, with some set to start next week, the temporary changes will greater serve as a way to increase time between bus runs.
During this experimental period, WJCC staff will monitor arrival and drop-off times to test how well it works. At the end of the two weeks, the division will determine whether the new schedule will remain in place through the entire school year.
WJCC is also “consolidating some neighborhood bus stops to reduce the frequency that buses need to stop and start during the route.”
WJCC said that students should plan to arrive at their bus stops 5-10 minutes earlier in the mornings.
The division will update route information on the website in the near future.