Potential changes to Chesapeake school bus route zones could affect hundreds of students

CHESAPEAKE — Chesapeake Public Schools is considering re-defining “non-transportation zones” to make bus routes more efficient. The changes could affect hundreds of students. The division has faced transportation challenges for years, due in large part to an extreme nationwide bus driver shortage. In Chesapeake, the number of driver vacancies has ballooned from 13 just five years ago to more than 90 today. A non-transportation zone, sometimes referred to as a walking zone, is the area close enough to a school where students are expected to reach the school on their own or with a parent. During a School Board planning…