ST. LOUIS 鈥 狐狸视频 Public School bus routes were disrupted for a second time this week as bus drivers on Tuesday continued to protest allegations of racism within the bus company.
Over 100 drivers with Missouri Central School Bus, a private contractor, called out sick from work Monday and Tuesday morning after a diesel mechanic said he found a noose near his workstation last week.
The mechanic, Amin Mitchell, who is Black, believed his white supervisors used the noose as a threat against raising concerns about the safety and integrity of bus brake systems.
Multiple drivers said they plan to return to work for the rest of the week, but would likely protest again soon.
Slightly fewer drivers called out of work on the second day of protest. George Sells, spokesman for 狐狸视频 Public Schools, said 56 bus routes were uncovered Tuesday morning. Sixty routes were uncovered on Monday.
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Most after-school activities were canceled Monday and Tuesday as a result.
Parents whose children ride affected buses have been hard-pressed to find transportation for their students in the meantime.
Heather Beasley, whose son is a high school student, said on days the bus doesn鈥檛 show up, she has to leave work to pick up her kid or organize transportation with his grandparents.
Bus service can be unreliable, Beasley said, but 鈥渨e haven鈥檛 had as many issues as some families have had.鈥
鈥淎 few times, he has just walked home from school, which is roughly 6 miles,鈥 she said.
SLPS officials said Tuesday they were 鈥渄isturbed鈥 by the allegations within Missouri Central. The district has contracted with the company for two school years.
鈥淭he allegations that surfaced Friday from the Missouri Central bus depot are upsetting,鈥 the district said in a statement. 鈥淎nd it is our hope that management at Missouri Central will get to the bottom of what is clearly unacceptable behavior.鈥
Mitchell, who said he had a disagreement with his employer shortly before he found the noose, alleged the company pressured him to make 鈥淏and-Aid鈥 fixes to school bus brakes so they鈥檇 pass inspection. He said a supervisor told him not to go 鈥渢he extra mile鈥 and fully service the buses in the way Mitchell thought most appropriate.
鈥淢y son rides these buses. My nephews ride these buses,鈥 Mitchell said Monday. 鈥淪o my passion and my purpose to come into work and make sure these brakes are done right is little more than his.鈥
Missouri Central said it plans to hire an independent third party to investigate drivers鈥 allegations.
鈥淲e take the safety of our fleet very seriously,鈥 Scott Allen, regional operations manager, said in an email Tuesday. 鈥淥ur fleet goes through a very detailed inspection. This or any mechanic is not 鈥榯argeted.鈥欌
The drivers are represented by the Laborers鈥 International Union of North America. But two said their contract does not allow them to strike.
They said they plan to return to work Wednesday but protest again soon. They declined to provide a specific time frame.
Supervisors are majority white, multiple employees said, while most staff, and nearly all of the drivers, are Black.
Drivers said they called out of work to support Mitchell, but they also protested what they described as a lack of action from Missouri Central to respond to their long-standing concerns about racial equality and work conditions.
Drivers declined to share their names publicly. They said they feared retaliation.