See, if you aren’t keeping up with this yet, well, just know that this entire Yost CCS Transportation Lawsuit thing is a pretty hot topic in Columbus, Ohio, and for good reason. What’s that though? Well, can you even imagine a bunch of children from a tuition-free private or charter school who suddenly have no more buses to actually go to the school? Yep, no school bus services, and that too for a year or so. Sure enough, Yost does not tolerate that, and he has decided to get involved by accusing Columbus City Schools of violating the state laws. What? State Laws? Yes, that’s pretty much what this lawsuit is all about, so, let’s just get into the details of it all.
Why Are Kids Missing the Bus?
Well, the bottom line is: According to Ohio law, public schools such as CCS have to transport nonpublic and charter school students every once in a while. Sure enough, there are loopholes, such as, if the school is more than 30 minutes away or is just not practically feasible for a kid. So yes, this year, CCS decided to cut down transportation of some students. They cited a huge bus driver shortage and a need to conserve limited resources as reasons. They simply said that they were stretched too thin to keep up with all the routes, you know?
Keep in mind though, for so many families out there, this decision was totally bad news in an inconvenient way. How so exactly? Well, that’s just because now, suddenly, parents have to figure out how to get their kids to school, like before, they just used to rely on the bus services. Now that’s out of the equation, they have to figure out another way, which just looks easy on the surface, but really isn’t.
Yes, Yost Steps In Saying “This Isn’t Fair”
Well, as you may already know it was actually Dave Yost who didn’t remain silent on this case, instead, yes, he called out CCS for what he declared to be an outright rules infraction and kinda illegal. Really? Yes, not just that though, barely 57 pages long, he filed an emergency motion to the Ohio Supreme Court in September 2024, and that is right there became a big thing that made this lawsuit even more popular across the country.
CCS retorted like “We’re doing the best we can!” They pointed out that they still transport over 37,000 kids, including 9,000 private and charter school children, you know? Sure enough, later down the line, they even filed motions to get Yost’s lawsuit thrown out, arguing that their hands were tied by the same laws Yost was waving around.
The Families and Schools in Chaos
In the meantime, families are in chaos, but why exactly? Well, sure enough, no bus means a scramble to find carpool partners or other arrangements to get kids to school and that just seems easy on the surface. CPA’s director, Tres Marangoni, said that at least 20 students have left the school due to the transportation headaches. Those who have stayed have had a struggle with lower-than-expected school attendance and the everyday battle to get to class. The Diocese of Columbus has been only vocal along these lines, saying that transportation has been a hot mess for years. All in all, yes, all are stuck: parents, schools, and students alike.
So, Who’s At Fault Really?
Very difficult to say, really. Yost makes no bones about the fact that CCS isn’t pulling its weight in the arrangement, but CCS insists that it is giving its maximum with what it has, you know? Like, as Dr. Angela Chapman, CCS’s superintendent, puts it: “The bottom line is we’ve got a shortage of drivers, yes, that’s precisely what they said so far. Last year bus transport timing was either late or completely absent. Shortening some routes was bad medicine, they state, but necessary to make things easier for the greatest number of students possible.”