Howard County Public Schools COO resigns amid bus route cancellations, changes

BALTIMORE - Howard County Public Schools Chief Operating Officer Scott Washington has resigned amid school bus route troubles over the first week of school, the district confirmed.

Washington's resignation comes after the cancellation of more than a dozen routes across the county.

As of Tuesday, the district confirmed that 12 bus routes have been restored.  

Last week, dozens of bus routes were stopped and more than 2,000 students were left without transportation to school.

ZUM, the district's newest school transportation contractor, said that it has hired several new bus drivers in an effort to expedite the return to a regular bus schedule, following a series of logistical challenges during a chaotic first week of school. 

Last week, the company cited reasons for the issues, such as driver callouts, shortages, and delays in state certification processes. 

ZUM said it successfully recruited, trained, and certified 30 additional drivers over the weekend.