Parents and students should be sure to prepare for a hectic morning as the school bus drivers’ union schedules their strike for tomorrow. The Department of Education has released alternatives to getting students to school in the wake of the strike and Norwood News is working hard to make it as smooth as any another Wednesday morning.

Transportation Alternatives:

-Students who use yellow school bus services will be provided with temporary metro cards, which will be valid until the strike ends. These cards will be supplied at the student’s respective schools.

-Additionally, metro cards will be made available for parents with children in kindergarten through the second grade who will now need to escort their children to school. These will also be available at the schools.

– If public transportation is not an option and families decide to use taxi services or decide to drive, forms for reimbursements will also be available in the child’s schools. Parents will be reimbursed 55 cents for every mile they travel.

School Changes:

-Students will not be reprimanded for arriving late and will be given a time slot of two hours to reach their schools.

– After school programs will continue as scheduled, however, usual yellow bus service will not be.

-Students who cannot attend school otherwise will be marked absent, but with a pardoning explanation code. It will be ensured that these marks do not negatively affect the student’s attendance record . The Department of Education will also be posting online material for those students who cannot make it to class.

Mayor Bloomberg has made it clear that more safety guards and transit officers will be supplied during this time. The Taxi and Limousine Commission and the MTA will be expecting an increase in service demands and will prepare as necessary.

Read more on the strike at NY Daily News.

Read Mayor Bloomberg’s address on the strike at the New York Department of Education’s official website.