Unsafe bus routes prompt another snow day for Fayette County Public Schools

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) — Fayette County Public Schools is calling another snow day Thursday, saying icy conditions on neighborhood roads are still making it unsafe for school buses to run.

District officials say many residential routes remain covered in ice, creating dangerous conditions for stopping, turning and navigating hills. With today’s closure, FCPS has now used eight snow days this school year, along with four nontraditional instruction, or NTI, days.

Chief Operating Officer Myron Thompson said transportation teams have been out early each morning checking conditions street by street.

“So right now we’re just going into the residential areas, trying to evaluate how much ice there is — are buses able to navigate hills, are they able to stop, or are they able to have enough turn radius to get through,” Thompson said. “We value the input of our seasoned bus drivers who’ve done this for many years. They have the expertise to determine when it’s safe to put a bus in these areas.”

While road conditions remain the biggest hurdle, crews are also working nonstop to clear ice from school campuses across Lexington.

“Our grounds crew takes care of the parking lots, bus lanes and parent drop-off areas. Custodians are responsible for the sidewalks and areas leading up to main entrances,” Thompson explained. “What you’re seeing as we make progress is more campuses getting cleared, but we still have a few we really haven’t had a chance to get the ice off of. It’s been very challenging.”

District leaders say teams have been working across all 70 FCPS campuses to improve conditions, but the lingering ice — combined with freezing temperatures — continues to slow progress.

Officials say safety remains the top priority and they’ll continue monitoring road and campus conditions closely before making decisions about returning to class.