COVENTRY, Conn — Coventry Public Schools are preparing for a possible bus driver strike next week.
School officials posted to its website that union officials said the first day would be Tuesday, Sept. 5, if a strike were to happen.
Parents are now being told that on Tuesday, Coventry schools will begin early drop-off and late pick-up for students. Students at Coventry Grammar School and G.H. Robertson School can be dropped off as early as 7:30 a.m. and must be picked up no later than 4:30 p.m.
Students at Capt. Nathan Hale Middle School and Coventry High School can be dropped off as early as 7 a.m. and must be picked up no later than 4:15 p.m.
The school district said that officials will notify families immediately if an agreement is reached between M&J Bus company and the teamsters before the strike date.
“Unfortunately, when an issue such as this arises, in the end, the students are the ones who suffer because their schedule/routine is so greatly impacted," Superintendent David Petrone said in a statement to FOX61. "In addition, there is an increased burden on our parents who have to find transportation for their children, which in many cases involves adjusting their work schedule or utilizing family members to assist.”
Officials are also asking that families only use the extended pickup and drop-off times if necessary so as not to overwhelm the system in place.
The bus strike will also impact the operation of the late bus service, thus impacting athletes who stay after school for other activities.
If you're a parent of a student at the school, you're asked to fill out a Google form to sign up for the service in case it needs to be implemented. You can find the links to the forms here: UPDATE - Transportation challenges.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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