Byington Buses

By Omar Garcia

Photo: Andy Kalmowitz

    Knoxville's Best, Powell High School, gives students the opportunity to select certain classes that are not offered in the school itself. A bus drives to PHS to pick up those students who selected the classes outside of PHS and takes them to Byington located in Karns High School. Students stay at Byington until their class ends and then wait outside for the bus to arrive. This is where the problem starts, Byington buses are arriving late and students are missing out on class time or are getting home late. What makes it even worse, is buses being late to pick up students also means that there will be more traffic on the roads due to parents picking their kids up on time and other school buses picking students up on time as well. The more traffic there is the longer it will take for students to get home and be able to do other extracurricular activities. Students are not allowed to take their own personal vehicles to Byington due to the fact that the liability to the school system would be enormous and it would be considered leaving school grounds during school. 

    A solution for this problem could be for KCS to assign a backup bus driver for those students attending Byington. If the original bus driver lets the backup bus driver know a few minutes ahead that it will not be getting there in time, one from the school will be sent to pick those students up on time. That way students will arrive back at Powell High School before the bell rings and be able to go home on time and arrive at after-school activities on time.