Few school bus problems seen as vaccine mandate starts

Few disruptions were reported to school bus routes Monday, the first day after a COVID-19 vaccination deadline, despite a threat that hundreds of drivers would walk off the job to protest the mandate.

Still, there was confusion throughout the day about how, when and whether the vaccination rule was being enforced, as some drivers apparently worked without showing proof of vaccinations or negative tests for the illness.

Likewise, employees and contractors faced a vaccination deadline Monday at long-term care facilities, including nursing homes. It was unclear in that industry how Gov. Ned Lamont’s Aug. 6 order — imposing a $20,000-per-day fine on any nursing home that employed unvaccinated

people — was being enforced.

Monday was also the first full day of work for nearly 50,000 state employees under Lamont’s vaccination order for them. Lamont said it would take “a couple of days” to sort out documents before sanctions, including unpaid suspensions, begin for state employees who refuse to comply.

Heading into Monday, school officials worried that opposition to the mandatory vaccinations could leave kids waiting on street corners without a way to get to school. Last week, for example, a group of bus drivers from Bristol spoke at a forum organized by the General Assembly’s Conservative Caucus to hear from people who are against the state requirement.

The governor’s office said it was only aware of a few cases of school bus drivers not showing up for work, either in protest of the mandate or because they did not have vaccination or testing documents. School officials in Derby, North Haven, Southbury and Middlebury said some drivers were absent but no districts reported widespread issues.

“I think I can speak on behalf of 500,000 kids and their parents that thankfully the overwhelming majority

of school bus drivers showed up and let kids get back to school,” Lamont said Monday after an unrelated event on car safety.

Confusion but few walkouts

The Connecticut School Transportation Association, which represents school bus companies, said there was a lot of confusion among drivers, some of whom showed up to work Monday morning without proof of vaccination or a negative test result, as was required. Ann Baldwin, a spokeswoman for the association, said some of those drivers went to get tested or to get a COVID-19 shot.

Most of the bus drivers work for private companies contracted by school districts. Several union representatives for school bus drivers said Monday they believe workers who failed to comply would be put on unpaid suspension — though it was unclear whether that happened anyplace.

It was also unclear late Monday how many drivers were still out of compliance. The association reported to the state Friday that it conducted a survey, finding that 1,558 school drivers in 12 school bus companies were unvaccinated and 227 “will walk out the door after work on Friday” — which did not happen.

Under the vaccination order by Lamont, all school personnel and contractors in contact with students — including bus drivers — must be vaccinated or agree to weekly testing. Drivers who agreed to the testing said they would do so only if the testing was free and convenient, the association said in its letter to the acting commissioner of the state Department of Education.

In a written statement Monday, the association reported “very few” disruptions in getting kids to school.

“Thanks to the committed school bus drivers and managers for promptly following the governor's mandate for COVID vaccinations and testing, while at the same time, doing what needed to be done to get Connecticut’s children safely to school,” Jon Hipsher, vice president of the association, known as COSTA, said in the statement.

Sorting out state, long-term care workers

State employees also fell under a similar mandate deadline Monday morning but Josh Geballe, Lamont’s chief administrative officer, said in an email to state employees late last week that they should report to work Monday as usual, as the state sorts out vaccination records supplied by employees.

“I think the vast majority said, ‘I want to get vaccinated,’” Lamont said Monday. “There are some that say, ‘Can I get tested?’ I haven’t heard of too many that have said ‘hell, no’ but there will be some.”

State workers who don’t get vaccinated and refuse to get tested should be on an “unpaid furlough for a period of time,” he added, reflecting his earlier order.

But making it happen is another matter. Lamont’s communications director, Max Reiss, said it will likely be days before the selfreporting of unionized state employees will catch up with the flood of reports made Sunday night, and then those who neither agree to vaccinations or testing will be dealt with.

“Somebody literally has to go through and upload your reports,” Reiss said. “There’s a process to going through that. Today being the first day, we don’t expect any good numbers for at least a couple of days. Then, we assess.”

At long-term care facilities, which are widely short-staffed, the repercussions could be significant, according to Pedro Zayas, a spokesman for the union SEIU District 1199, which represents workers in about one-third of the state’s nursing homes.

As with state employees, numbers of nurses and other staff who were out of compliance were not available,

Zayas and others said. Lamont said Monday that “the overwhelming number of nurses in nursing homes are getting vaccinated.”

A spokesman for the state Department of Public Health did not respond when asked when enforcement might begin.

Scattered bus incidents

One significant issue for people subject to weekly testing as an alternative to vaccination was the cost and convenience of the testing. The state has some free testing sites, but many require either insurance that covers the tests or a claim by people seeking the tests that they have been exposed to the illness — or they may be liable for a charge that could exceed $150.

North Haven Superintendent Patrick Stirk said his district only had one driver participate in the threatened walkout and was able to cover all routes Monday morning. To do so, the district “split” a couple of routes, having drivers take on a portion of a route in addition to their own, he said.

The town has not been spared the impacts of the nationwide bus driver shortage. Stirk said the district began the year short six to nine drivers and has experienced some delays.

“We’re able to piecemeal it day by day. It’s difficult to plan ahead because you don’t know who’s … potentially gonna not walk in one morning,” he said. “We work well as a team between the town, myself and the [M&J Bus Company].”

Five drivers called out in Pomperaug Regional School District 15, which covers Southbury and Middlebury, Superintendent Joshua Smith said. One or two of those drivers were absent for reasons other than the vaccine mandate, he said.

Four bus routes were delayed on Monday morning, but one bus was delayed because of an injured bear on the road – not the lack of drivers, he said.

Lamont has required staff at pre-K-to-12 schools statewide to get at least their first shot by Sept. 27. The mandate allows for religious and medical exemptions with an opt-out for testing.

The mandate comes as school transportation companies struggle to find enough drivers even without a vaccination mandate, amid an odd job market. Unemployment remains higher than normal but employers in many sectors report difficulty hiring.