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ENOUGH PEOPLE COMING INTO THE PROFESSION. AS KIDS HEAD BACK TO CLASS. SCHOOLS ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE FACING STAFFING SHORTAGES. AND THAT INCLUDES RIGHT HERE IN ALABAMA. �������� 13 HAS TEAM COVERAGE TONIGHT AS DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE WELCOME STUDENTS BACK TO SCHOOL. MAGDALA LUCENT IS IN JEFFERSON COUNTY. WE’RE GOING TO START THERE WITH �������� 13. LISA CRANE LIVE IN IRONDALE FOR US TONIGHT. LISA OUR SCHOOLS ARE LOOKING TO HIRE MORE THAN JUST TEACHERS HEADING INTO A NEW YEAR. YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT, GUYS. MANY DISTRICTS ARE ALSO LOOKING FOR BUS DRIVERS. YOU KNOW, WE’VE SEEN THE NUMBER OF BUS DRIVERS DWINDLE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. AND HERE IN JEFFERSON COUNTY, THE JEFFERSON COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT HAS NOW LED TO SOME STUDENTS HAVING NO BUS SERVICE AT ALL THIS WEEK, WHICH HAS LEFT PARENTS IN A LURCH. THIS HAS BEEN A ROUGH WEEK ALREADY FOR AMY POPE. THE SINGLE WORKING MOM SAYS AT THE LAST MINUTE SHE HAD TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET HER 10TH GRADE SON TO HIS FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL AT SHADES VALLEY HIGH. I WOKE UP AND WAS CHECKING MY EMAIL BEFORE SCHOOL, AND I REALIZED THAT THE BUS WAS NOT GOING TO BE RUNNING. AND THIS WAS THE FIRST THAT I HAD HEARD OF IT. THE DISTRICT SENT OUT THIS EMAIL THE NIGHT BEFORE SAYING BECAUSE OF A BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE, TWO BUSSES WOULDN’T RUN ROUTES THIS WEEK, TELLING PARENTS THEY HAD HAVE TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO GET THEIR STUDENTS TO AND FROM SCHOOL. THE PICKING UPS, THE HARD PART, YOU KNOW, IS I’M WRITING THE BUSIEST PART OF MY DAY. USUALLY AT 230, 3:00. SO I CAN’T LEAVE JEFFERSON COUNTY SCHOOL LEADERS SAY THEY’RE LOOKING FOR BUS DRIVERS WHO ARE LICENSED AND READY TO GO. WE’RE REALLY LOOKING FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY HAVE A CDL AND THEY HAVE A SCHOOL BUS LICENSE AND THEY JUST WANT TO DRIVE OUR STUDENTS TO AND FROM SCHOOL. I SEE BARRIERS ATTACKING IS WORKING PROPERLY AT SCHOOL. TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS FUTURE BUS DRIVERS CAN GET THAT TRAINING. THE DIRECTOR OF THIS CONTRACT TRANSPORTATION COMPANY SAYS THEY’RE DOWN ABOUT SIX DRIVERS RIGHT NOW TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS. THEY’LL ACCEPT CANDIDATES WITH NO CURRENT LICENSE. THEN TRAIN THEM. IT’S A FIVE PART TEST FOR SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS. TAKE THE WRITTEN TEST. THEN AFTER YOU TAKE YOUR WRITTEN TEST, THEN YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO LEARN HOW TO MANEUVER THE BUS TO TAKE YOUR DRIVER’S TEST IN ORDER TO GET THE GET YOUR LICENSE. NOW, TURNER SAYS IT IS A LENGTHY PROCESS BEYOND JUST HAVING A COMMERCIAL DRIVER’S LICENSE. SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS MUST ALSO HAVE TWO ENDORSED PASSENGER AND