No bus service this week for some Jefferson County students

WOULD TERM A SUPERCELL. AND IF THIS WERE APRIL AND NOT AUGUST, IT WOULD BE A VERY DIFFERENT SITUATION IN MARION COUNTY. THIS IS AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM, LIKELY PRODUCING A LOT OF HAIL, STRONG, GUSTY WINDS. AND THERE IS A WALL CLOUD ASSOCIATED WITH IT. THAT’S A LOW HANGING CLOUD. NO RAINFALLS FROM IT, BUT YOU CAN SEE IT AND YOU MAY EVEN BE ABLE TO SEE THAT THING ROTATING. I WOULD RECOMMEND STAYING INDOORS AS THIS STORM APPROACHES YOU OVER THE EASTERN PART OF MARION COUNTY HERE IN THE NEXT 15 TO 20 MINUTES, I’LL PUT MY FINGER ON THE STRONGEST PART OF THE STORM, WHICH IS RIGHT THERE CLOSE TO PIERCE’S MILL. IT’S TRACKING TOWARD THE EAST AS WE SPEAK, AND WE’LL GIVE IT A FORWARD SPEED CLOSE TO 35MPH. THERE YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE COMMUNITIES IN THE PATH HERE. THE NEXT COUPLE OF MINUTES. PIERCE MILL, WHITE HOUSE. SONNY HOME. GLEN MARY NATURAL BRIDGE WOULD BE IN THE IMMEDIATE PATH OF HIGH WIND AND THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME HAIL. LET’S GO IN CLOSE AND TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT’S HAPPENING JUST EAST OF HAMILTON ON RADAR. NOW, IF YOU ARE IN THE CITY OF HAMILTON, THE RISK FROM THAT STORM IS OVER. BUT WE STILL HAVE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THAT’S IN EFFECT UNTIL 8:00 THIS EVENING. SO LET’S GO IN VERY CLOSE HERE. YOU CAN SEE ALL THE LIGHTNING. SO DOWNTOWN HAMILTON IS RIGHT THERE. THE LIGHTNING IS TAPERING OFF AROUND HAMILTON. IT’S ALL NORTH OF HIGHWAY 22 AT THE MOMENT. AND THE ROTATING PART OF THE STORM IS OVER. HIGHWAY 253, JUST SOUTH OF THE INTERSECTION WITH HIGHWAY 278. BASED ON WHAT, 13 LIVE DOPPLER RADAR. YOU CAN SEE THE LIVE SWEEP COMING AROUND RIGHT ON TOP OF PIERCE’S MILL. THAT IS ONE OF THE MORE INTENSE SUMMERTIME THUNDERSTORMS THAT YOU ARE EVER GOING TO SEE. THEN WE’VE ALSO GOT HEAVY RAIN FALLING DOWN HERE AROUND WHITE HOUSE AND SUNNY HOME AND OUT IN THIS AREA THAT’S RUNNING DOWN HIGHWAY 2.33. EVEN TOWARD BRILLIANT ON 129. THE POTENTIAL IS THERE FOR VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND STRONG, GUSTY WINDS. THERE ARE ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS OVER WALKER COUNTY AND SOUTHERN CULLMAN COUNTY THAT ARE TRACKING TOWARD THE NORTH AND EAST AT ABOUT TO 35 TO 40MPH. ANY OF THESE STORMS COULD BRIEFLY TURN SEVERE. THIS AFTERNOON. THERE IS A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH THAT’S IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 P.M. FOR ALL OF THE COUNTIES THAT ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN PURPLE HERE. WE’LL TALK MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FOR THE REST OF THIS EVENING. TIME IT OUT FOR YOU AND GET YOU SET FOR MORE STORMY WEATHER IN THE DAYS AHEAD. COMING UP. WE’RE LOSING 300,000 TEACHERS A YEAR AND WE’RE NOT GETTING 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. WVTM 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 WVTM 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 E