SLPS cancels all after school activities Monday after Missouri Central Bus employees walk out, district says

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - After what St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) termed “internal strife” with “a racial component” at Missouri Central Bus Company, bus routes were missed, and the district canceled after-school activities on Monday.

This forced some parents to leave work early to retrieve their children.

“Had to leave work early,” said Richardson. “Gonna work late at home tonight now, so yeah, not ideal.”

Joel Richardson was seemingly annoyed at having to show up at Mason Elementary two hours earlier than usual to ensure his kids got home safely since after-school daycare was canceled.

“There wasn’t a whole lot of notice,” Richardson commented.

SLPS states that several Missouri Central bus drivers called in sick in protest. The letter sent to parents is below:

SLPS Families,

We would like to update you on transportation issues occurring due to an apparent walk-out on the part of employees at the Missouri Central Bus Company.

First, our after-school activities are cancelled today, February 26, 2024, due to these issues.

As you may have heard, there has been internal strife at Missouri Central over the last several days that has a racial component. This alarming situation has now spilled over into Missouri Central’s work for SLPS. Several drivers called in sick today, apparently in protest of the company’s handling of the issue. This led to about a quarter of our bus routes being uncovered this morning.

We are in constant communication with Missouri Central, and we have been adamant that they need to correct the problems they are having within their company quickly.

To those who have been inconvenienced by this, we apologize. We thank those of you who were able to make alternate arrangements and still get your children to school today.

You, the families of Saint Louis Public Schools are caught in the middle of this through no fault of your own, and you deserve better.

We do not know the full scope of what is happening at Missouri Central or how long this might last. We would suggest, if possible, that you make arrangements to pick up your students from school this afternoon and be ready to make arrangements for the morning. As soon as we know more about the situation, we will share the information.

Thanks for your patience and .

The statement comes just days after a Black mechanic at Missouri Central posted on Facebook what appears to be a noose that he claims to have found at work.

Missouri Central wouldn’t confirm the discovery of a noose and declined to participate in an interview.

However, in a statement, Missouri Central asserted, “At Missouri Central, our policy is to provide and foster a work environment that is welcoming to all regardless of age, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. There is zero tolerance for any behavior that violates this policy.”

They also mentioned that a third party will be investigating the allegations.

As for the students, SLPS states that it’s unclear if bus routes will be affected on Tuesday and for the rest of the week due to Missouri Central’s issues.

SLPS encourages parents to be ready to make arrangements for their kids on Tuesday, stating, “You, the families of Saint Louis Public Schools, are caught in the middle of this through no fault of your own, and you deserve better.”

It’s an open question whether after-school activities will continue to be canceled.

“People have issues; I understand, but yeah, it’s pretty frustrating,” said Richardson.

Copyright 2024 KMOV. All rights reserved.