MARLBOROUGH – Unless a settlement is reached over the weekend between Teamsters Local 170 and NRT Bus, school bus drivers will go on strike on Monday, May 8, in Marlborough, Westborough and Framingham.
Marlborough Public Schools (MPS) has issued a contingency plan in case a strike does take place.
According to the plan, students living within a 1.5-mile radius of their school will be expected to walk. Police and MPS will staff these walking routes to support a safe walk to and from school.
Students living outside that radius will be expected to have parents, families or friends drop them off. The district noted that there may be traffic delays near schools due to an increased amount of drop-offs and pickups.
A limited number of buses may be available; those buses will go to areas with high concentration of students. Students within these areas will receive their bus assignment, and if they do not receive an assignment by Sunday, May 7, they should plan to walk or be driven to school.
For special education students, NRT has secured transportation for all students assigned to special education mini-buses. Parents should expect potential delays, as the drivers covering the routes may not be regular Marlborough drivers.
For special education students attending out-of-district programs, their transportation will not be affected by the strike.
For preschoolers, NRT is in the process of securing transportation.
Students unable to get to school during the strike, and would like access to school meals, are asked to contact Doug Dias, director of Finance and Operations, at [email protected].
All Boys and Girls Club programming will take place during the strike.
For complete information on the contingency plans, visit https://www.mps-edu.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=4&ModuleInstanceID=3417&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=12472&PageID=1
