Education

DeKalb Schools rehires one bus driver fired in sickout aftermath

Several buses remained in the parking lot during morning pickup times at the DeKalb County School District’s Offices at 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard in Stone Mountain on Thursday morning April 19, 2018. Nearly 400 drivers staged a sickout protest over pay, retirement benefits and divers’ overall treatment. School Superintendent Steve Green said every driver who missed work would have to show a doctor’s note. Students were not counted as tardy if their buses arrived late, and the district rescheduled Georgia Milestones testing. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

Several buses remained in the parking lot during morning pickup times at the DeKalb County School District’s Offices at 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard in Stone Mountain on Thursday morning April 19, 2018. Nearly 400 drivers staged a sickout protest over pay, retirement benefits and divers’ overall treatment. School Superintendent Steve Green said every driver who missed work would have to show a doctor’s note. Students were not counted as tardy if their buses arrived late, and the district rescheduled Georgia Milestones testing. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

By Marlon A. Walker

May 8, 2018

A DeKalb County School District bus driver returned to work Monday, several weeks after at least seven were fired by Superintendent Steve Green for promoting or encouraging a sickout that crippled transportation operations.

District officials confirmed one of several drivers who received hand-delivered notes signed by Green was again working for the district. No reason was given for the about-face. None of the other drivers was rehired, officials said Tuesday.

VIDEO: Previous coverage on this issue

The bus drivers were fired amid the ‘sick out’ last week.

School district officials said seven drivers were initially terminated for either promoting or encouraging the sickout, with Green calling it an “illegal” organizing effort. Supporters and fired school bus drivers put that number at 10.

The sickout saw nearly 400 of the district's 900 school bus drivers call out of work April 19, the first of three days where drivers stayed home to bring awareness to concerns with pay, benefits and treatment.

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