Current:Home > InvestA school bus company where a noose was found is ending its contract with St. Louis Public Schools-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
A school bus company where a noose was found is ending its contract with St. Louis Public Schools
View Date:2025-01-11 22:36:23
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A school bus company will terminate its contract with St. Louis Public Schools a year early, bringing an end to a relationship strained after a noose was found near the workstation of a Black mechanic and an ensuing driver walkout that snarled bus service for one of Missouri’s largest school systems.
Missouri Central School Bus Co. notified Mayor Tishaura Jones and the Missouri Office of Workforce Development in a letter dated Tuesday that the end of the contract would mean the loss of 332 jobs.
Missouri Central’s contract with the school district, which includes about 19,600 students, was supposed to run through the 2024-25 school year, but the company had an opt-out clause. Bus service will end effective June 30, after the end of the current school year.
Scott Allen, regional operations manager for Missouri Central, said in a statement that in December, the company asked the district for additional money “to address unprecedented industry inflation and a nationwide school bus driver shortage.” A statement from the district says the company sought an extra $2 million.
“Unfortunately, despite good faith efforts by both sides, we were unable to negotiate mutually agreeable terms to continue the contract,” Allen said.
In February, mechanic Amin Mitchell said he found a noose at his workstation. He said he believed it was meant to send a racist message to intimidate him after an argument with a manager over Mitchell’s concern that some bus brakes were inadequate.
“Today I had enough! I came into work this morning and found a NOOSE!,” Mitchell wrote on Facebook, posting video of a noose fashioned from a thin rope and lying on the floor.
In response, at least 100 drivers stopped working, some for a few days, leaving parents to scramble to get their kids to school. The drivers are members of the Laborers’ International Union of North America. Their contract does not permit strikes, so drivers called in sick with “personal issues.”
Local NAACP leaders called for a hate crime investigation. While none has been announced, Missouri Central said at the time that it would bring in a third-party to investigate. Company spokesman Cordell Whitlock said in an email Tuesday that the company “is still waiting on a final report regarding the alleged noose incident.”
The school district said in a statement that Missouri Central has failed to meet goals for staffing and delivering students to school on time for three consecutive semesters.
Missouri Central officials also told the school district that the racism allegations “provided irreparable harm to their reputation and said they could no longer work with Saint Louis Public Schools,” the district statement says.
District leaders will immediately begin seeking a new vendor for busing services. The statement says the district hopes many Missouri Central drivers will be hired.
“We want them to continue to transport our students,” the district said.
veryGood! (12975)
Related
- Texas now tops in SEC? Miami in trouble? Five overreactions to college football Week 11
- Will There Be a Barbie Movie Sequel? Margot Robbie Says...
- Warming Trends: British Morning Show Copies Fictional ‘Don’t Look Up’ Newscast, Pinterest Drops Climate Misinformation and Greta’s Latest Book Project
- Activists Deplore the Human Toll and Environmental Devastation from Russia’s Unprovoked War of Aggression in Ukraine
- Fire crews on both US coasts battle wildfires, 1 dead; Veterans Day ceremony postponed
- The EPA proposes tighter limits on toxic emissions from coal-fired power plants
- Melanie Lynskey Honors Former Costar Julian Sands After He's Confirmed Dead
- When AI works in HR
- Jon Gruden joins Barstool Sports three years after email scandal with NFL
- Women are earning more money. But they're still picking up a heavier load at home
Ranking
- The Cowboys, claiming to be 'all in' prior to Dak Prescott's injury, are in a rare spot: Irrelevance
- Across the Boreal Forest, Scientists Are Tracking Warming’s Toll
- The EPA says Americans could save $1 trillion on gas under its auto emissions plan
- Mega Millions jackpot grows to an estimated $820 million, with a possible cash payout of $422 million
- Judge sets April trial date for Sarah Palin’s libel claim against The New York Times
- AI companies agree to voluntary safeguards, Biden announces
- Across the Boreal Forest, Scientists Are Tracking Warming’s Toll
- Laredo Confronts Drought and Water Shortage Without a Wealth of Options
Recommendation
-
‘COP Fatigue’: Experts Warn That Size and Spectacle of Global Climate Summit Is Hindering Progress
-
The EPA proposes tighter limits on toxic emissions from coal-fired power plants
-
The math behind Dominion Voting System's $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News
-
UPS workers poised for biggest U.S. strike in 60 years. Here's what to know.
-
Best fits for Corbin Burnes: 6 teams that could match up with Cy Young winner
-
Corn-Based Ethanol May Be Worse For the Climate Than Gasoline, a New Study Finds
-
Shawn Johnson East Shares the Kitchen Hacks That Make Her Life Easier as a Busy Mom
-
Why Tia Mowry Says Her 2 Kids Were Part of Her Decision to Divorce Cory Hardrict