JCPS bus driver sticks with district 'because of the kids'

Danyle Lynch became a Jefferson County Public School bus driver because of the job's benefits, but she's stayed for eight years because of her love for the kids she picks up and drops off each day — even as the district makes changes that affect her own children.

Lynch is one of about 560 drivers practicing their routes this week ahead of the upcoming school year and she's hopeful for a better year for the students she shepherds to and from class, following last year's transportation meltdown .

Major changes from the district will allow Lynch to spend more time with the same students each day. But they also mean one of her two children will have to carpool to school until he gets his license, after JCPS board members voted to end most magnet busing .

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Families will likely see delays during the first few days of school, which is common for the start of every year.

Her request to the public: Be patient.

The district has worked to keep drivers in geographic regions and to keep kids with the same driver in the morning and evening as much as possible this year — a move that helps students become more familiar with their drivers and stop.

This year, Lynch will transport the same kids at two elementary schools to and from school — instead of driving kids to four schools in the morning, then picking kids up from four different schools in the afternoon, as she did last year.

In previous years, she'd work a second job cutting hair during her break between morning and afternoon runs, but that wasn't an option last year because her break was much shorter.

Despite the district's transportation issues, she said she's never considered quitting.

"I'm still here because of the kids," Lynch said.

Some kids she transports don't have the things they need, nor the love and guidance they deserve, Lynch said. That's why she strives to serve as a "momma on the bus," each morning and afternoon.

"My favorite part about being a JCPS bus driver is getting a chance to see these children grow up throughout the years," Lynch said. Her eyes lit up as a smile spread across her face when talking about how quickly the kids change.

For Lynch, her expectation for the children is simple: Give respect — to each other, to themselves and to the bus, she said.

Contact Krista Johnson at kjohnson3@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: JCPS bus driver sticks with district 'because of the kids'