Fairfax Co. schools ask parents to consider carpooling amid bus driver shortage

By Zeke Hartner
August 19, 2021 | 3:07 PM

The D.C. region is experiencing a severe school bus driver shortage, and Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia is asking parents to shuttle kids themselves, if possible, to alleviate some of the strain. The school system took to Twitter and Facebook to ask parents to walk or drive their children and carpool their neighbor’s children, if possible.

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The county is also offering a $2,000 sign-up bonus as extra incentive to bring in new drivers. Loudoun County is offering a similar sign-up bonus and a $500 referral bonus to school employees who refer new bus drivers. As of Aug. 12, Fairfax County Public Schools was down 190 drivers. The school system told WTOP the hiring situation is fluid, “but like other school districts across the country, we do have more shortages than is usual for this time of year.” WTOP’s Mike Murillo contributed to this report.

Breaking the silence around suicide: A Virginia mother shares thoughts on prevention

By Kate Ryan
September 1, 2026 | 4:22 AM

September is Suicide Prevention Month, and Betsy Stephenson, an Alexandria, Virginia, resident and a mother who lost her son to suicide, wants people to talk about it. "By not talking about suicide, we are not going to make it go away. In fact, I think that we could inadvertently give it a little more power than it deserves," she told WTOP. One of the things that Stephenson wants families to know is that people who are struggling can appear to be doing well. "You can be very high-functioning as a depressed person or an anxious person," she said. "You can be connected socially. You can be doing well at school or work. You can be making plans, smiling, laughing, engaged, but still be struggling deeply, you know, cosmically, inside."

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