Dozens of bus drivers call in sick, strand Indianapolis students

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INDIANAPOLIS — About 80 school bus drivers for a company that provides service for Indianapolis Public Schools called in sick on Friday, causing delays for thousands of students trying to get home and sending parents to schools to pick up their children.

IPS spokesman John Althardt told The Indianapolis Star that Durham School Services started contacting some IPS schools around noon to say that their drivers were calling in sick and that their routes could not be completed.

Durham School Services issued a statement to WTHR-TV saying employees were frustrated over unemployment benefits. The station reports drivers say they were told by the state Department of Workforce Development they were ineligible for benefits and have to repay amounts varying from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.