HENDERSON (KTNV) — When your kid gets picked up by the bus, you expect the driver to take them to the correct school.
Well, one local mom told me that's not what happened to her son Monday on the first day of school.
“I’m scared and I’m getting kind of ticked off," mother of four, Cheryl Guerrero, said. "I’m like, 'OK, who had my son? How did this happen?"
That was Guerrero's reaction when she heard her 14-year-old son Carter Roberts, who has autism, was sent to the wrong school.
WATCH | Henderson reporter Ryan Ketcham talked with Guerrero and got answers from CCSD about the transportation issues:
“How does this even happen? It’s making no sense to me," said Guerrero.
She told me her son was the one to tell her, not the district.
Guerrero said she reached out to a representative of the Clark County School District Transportation Department, but was originally unable to get through.
They did give a call back after she spoke with her son and was already working on a plan.
“So transportation calls," said Guerrero. “And she says, ' Hey, we noticed there was a missed stop on your son’s route and he didn’t get picked up. Does the student need transportation?' He’s already been picked up, so how do you not know? She goes, 'What?' And she’s like, ' Oh, oh my goodness. I was like, 'Who picked him up?”'
She said she still doesn't know who picked up her son and why it happened.
Guerrero told me she has a bus tracking application that allows her to track the bus connected to her son.
That day, while she was at work, she saw the bus that was supposed to pick up her son was eight stops away, but nearing their house. However, her son got on a different bus.
She said the bus driver asked if her son's name was Carter Roberts. He said yes, then sat down, but was not taken to Del Sol Academy of the Performing Arts, where he attends, but rather to Advanced Technologies Academy.
Guerrero said since her son has autism, the bus drives directly to their home, not to a bus stop. So, with the bus driver having their address and her son's name, she said there are no excuses for why the driver took him to the wrong school.
Just how far away is her son's school, compared to the one he was dropped off at? I drove from Del Sol to Advanced Technologies Academy at 2:23 p.m. Wednesday.
That drive took me 36 minutes due to a crash on I-11 and the drive was between 13 and 14 miles, nearly 15 depending on the route.
This is a drive Guerrero had to make herself from her job as a charge nurse in Henderson.
“So I had to drive 20 miles to get to where he was, and then that school and Del Sol are 15 miles away from each other and then drive another 15 miles to get him there, and I still had to go back to work," said Guerrero.
Guerrero said she didn't have too big of an issue with bus transportation to school on Tuesday, but she said it did take the bus over an hour to bring her son back home after school.
They live about two miles away from the school.
However, Guerrero said the bus was late on the third day of school Wednesday. She said Carter is supposed to get picked up just before 8 a.m. to make it to school on time.
She said CCSD notified her that Carter's bus broke down before it picked him up. They found a new bus to pick him up, but they didn't do so until 10 a.m.
However, the same app Cheryl uses to track her son's bus did not switch to the new one again. Her app could only track the broken-down bus, not the new one sent to pick up her son at 10 a.m.
Guerrero said she hopes he isn't marked down as tardy or absent. After he was dropped off at the wrong school Monday, she said Del Sol called her asking why her son had an unexcused absence, so she had to explain it all.
Guerrero is not alone, though. Many of you have reached out to us at Channel 13 saying you've had issues yourself with buses not picking up your kids or being late.
Local News
Parents want answers after students left without bus ride on first day of school
So, I brought your concerns directly to CCSD. While CCSD said they cannot discuss any individual student cases, they sent me several statements on Tuesday and Wednesday as they responded to several questions I sent them regarding your concerns.
“Over the past year, CCSD has been piloting an upgraded transportation routing and scheduling system to better serve our community, and the District transitioned to the new platform in June. Transitioning to a new platform for the nation’s largest district-operated school bus fleet is a complex undertaking, and we acknowledge that we have faced routing and scheduling challenges during the first two days of the school year.
We are fully committed to resolving these issues and are actively engaging with families who reach out via 702-799-8100 or transportation@nv.ccsd.net.
“We are encouraged by our initial progress, and 88 percent of bus routes ran on time on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. We are working diligently to improve our performance and ensure consistent, reliable service to 100% of our students. CCSD sincerely apologizes for any disruptions these delays have caused our students and their families.” — CCSD
I then sent CCSD several questions about this statement back to CCSD. Here's what they sent me:
Q: You mentioned the 88% on-time figure for August 11. What was that figure for the first day of school, August 10? Was it higher or lower?
A: "The on-time rate improved from approximately 86 percent on Monday, August 11, 2026."
Q: I see numbers of around 110,000 students take the bus to school; I just want to confirm that number.
A: "Approximately 112,000 CCSD students are eligible for bus service daily, but we are still determining how many students will regularly use bus service."
Q: If that number is correct, what happens for the approximately 13,200 students? (those who take the 12% of the buses not on time) Do they face any repercussions for tardiness? Do classes start later for them?
A: "It is inaccurate to say there are 13,000 impacted students, as we are still determining the number of students who will regularly participate in bus services.
Students who are late due to District transportation-related issues may visit the school office for documentation to excuse their late arrival. They will not receive a tardy due to transportation-related concerns. Families can check Infinite Campus or contact the school office to check attendance records."
Q: How are you planning on addressing this issue?
A: "CCSD Transportation continues to address routing and scheduling challenges during the first days of the school year that have contributed to longer-than-anticipated delays. We are addressing issues caused by the transition to the new software, problems with overloaded phone lines to the Transportation Department, and individual concerns, such as gate codes not working and other unique challenges. We continue to make progress and expect to see improvements throughout the week. As the year progresses, we will also consolidate bus routes as much as possible, without impacting the service offered to students."
Q: I saw we reported early this year that 26 buses and 51 drivers were being added to support the schedule changes. Is that the case? Did you hire all of them? If so, why are there so many delays impacting more than 10,000 students? Do you need more bus drivers?
A: "The CCSD Transportation Department opened the school year with 94 percent of bus routes staffed by an assigned driver. All other routes are being covered by extra drivers, who are regularly available to assist with routes due to driver absences or other needs. CCSD continues to recruit bus drivers to staff open routes, with the next training class scheduled to begin later this month.
Bus driver recruiting and onboarding continue year-round to fill any vacancies and prepare for natural attrition."
Q: Are the buses on a cycle? Same buses pick up middle, then high school, then elementary students? Is there more traffic than expected leading to this issue?
A: "CCSD bus routes are generally divided into three tiers: middle schools, then high schools, and then elementary schools. We are working through various concerns related to the start of the school year, ranging from malfunctioning gate codes to changes in our transportation software system. We are addressing all concerns at a systemic level, as well as working with individual families. We encourage any family with concerns to email transportation@nv.ccsd.net or call 702-799-8100."
Lastly, CCSD also sent Channel 13 another statement on Wednesday regarding the transportation issues:
"CCSD Transportation continues to address routing and scheduling challenges during the first days of the school year that have contributed to longer-than-anticipated delays.
We are addressing issues caused by the transition to a new software system, overloaded phone lines at the Transportation Department, and individual concerns, such as gate codes not working and other unique challenges.
We are encouraged by our initial progress, and 90 percent of bus routes ran on time on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. We are working diligently to improve our performance and ensure consistent, reliable service to 100% of our students.
As the year progresses, we will also consolidate bus routes as much as possible, without impacting the service offered to students.
We continue to respond to all individual Transportation concerns at 702-799-8100 or transportation@nv.ccsd.net. CCSD sincerely apologizes for any disruptions these delays have caused our students and their families." — CCSD
Parents tell me this issue is a top priority to be fixed, and they just hope the district will continue to focus on fixing any issues related to their transportation.
