Community Education Sports

Sports bus no-shows leave GHHS wrestlers scrambling to attend meets

Posted on January 11th, 2024 By: Christina T Henry

Communication issues, both internal and external, resulted in several no-shows for buses taking Gig Harbor High School wrestlers to meets in December, according to Peninsula School District’s transportation director.

Parents and athletes have been left scrambling at the last minute to secure rides in their own cars, with friends or other families. The team had to forfeit one meet because not enough wrestlers could find a ride.

Not a driver shortage issue

The wrestling bus no-shows were not the result of the district’s driver shortage, which led to a warning in early December that some regular bus routes could be canceled at the last minute. So far, the district has avoided that scenario, “but it’s been close,” said Dawnett Wright, transportation director.

Trees downed by high wind delayed some buses Tuesday, but all routes operated.

The district relies on First Student, a national charter bus company used by other local districts, to provide transportation for sports and other extra-curricular activities when the district’s own buses are unavailable. The district’s ASB fund covers charters.

Wright confirmed three wrestling bus no-shows in December. The first, on Dec. 2, was because the transportation department didn’t get a request from the school to schedule a bus, she said.

A First Student transportation company marketing photo.

Team left stranded

The team was forced to forfeit on Dec. 2, according to parent Julie Hester. Athletes were stranded at the school at 5:30 a.m.

On Dec. 7 and 14, the charter bus had been scheduled but didn’t arrive to take the team to the meet.

“The charter company informed us that it was a communication error within their department, and the parents and athletes then self-transported,” Wright said.

On Dec. 14, according to Hester, the charter bus showed up at the event to take students back to school, but most had already found their own rides.

In the event of a no-show, students fill out a district form to self-transport. Trips with the charter company (like any other transportation not directly provided by the district) also require a form.

Communication gaps

Peninsula School District coaches provide transportation requests at the start of each season. The athletic director for each school submits a request form to the transportation department, which either schedules its own buses or schedules with the charter company.

“If a coach does not request transportation, then there will not be transportation provided,” said Blair Suek, Gig Harbor High’s athletic director.

According to Assistant Superintendent Dan Gregory, that was the reason for the wrestling team’s forfeit on Dec. 2. No other high school teams have had to forfeit this school year because of transportation issues, he said.

Suek said her department closely tracks scheduled charters.

“We call on all charter trips the week of, as well as the day of to get confirmation from transportation as we have had instances where charter trips are a no show,” she said. “When we get confirmation from transportation, we assume that the bus will be provided via the charter company.”

Suek expressed her frustration and apologized to parents for the Dec. 14 no-show in a message a parent shared with Gig Harbor Now. Suek said the charter company confirmed the bus that morning, and that her department and transportation tried to secure another bus.

“We apologize for the self-transportation and are going to move up departure times for wrestling when a charter is needed to try to avoid this situation in the future, so if a bus does not show, we have time to plan and hopefully secure another bus before the necessary time to leave,” she wrote.

Charter company responds

Wrestling isn’t the only sport affected by unexpected cancelations.

“We have faced similar issues in previous years and with various sports, activities and schools,” Wright said. “We continue to communicate often with the charter company to obtain confirmations.”

First Student is aware of the issue and has made changes, according to Jen Biddinger, the company’s communications manager.

“At First Student, we understand the importance of providing reliable transportation,” Biddinger said. “We regret the inconvenience communications errors on our team caused the Peninsula School District, their student athletes and their families. We conducted an internal review into what happened last month, addressed the issues, and are focused on ensuring this does not happen again.”

Bus drivers needed

Suek said that when a transportation glitch happens, athletic officials try to work with other schools or event organizers to change start times or reschedule the event.

“When a bus does not show up, regardless of the sport or activity, it is a difficult situation,” she said. “The last thing we want to do is cancel or forfeit due to not having transportation, as our students deserve to compete and participate in all events scheduled.”

Gregory stressed the need for additional drivers, both for regular routes and extracurricular events. Peninsula is not alone in struggling with transportation issues, he said.

“Both (Gig Harbor High School and Peninsula High School,) as well as other South Sound Conference schools, have had to adjust some event dates or use parent transportation due to a lack of available drivers to transport students,” he said. “We want to continue to emphasize our district’s urgent need to hire additional full and part-time drivers.”