As the bell rings at 8:20 a. m., students throughout NC take their seats and watch Tomahawk Today or listen to the morning announcements while teachers take the attendance, in which they notice a third of the seats empty. Several buses will arrive late again.

As the fourth week of school comes to an end, buses run into construction issues, weather, and other delays that cause swaths of students to arrive late.

“It’s annoying,” junior Justin Pumillo said. “I want to get to school around eight so I have time to chill. I wait in traffic most days for around 15 minutes.”

Thanks to the construction on I-75, radio talk show hosts, such as Rock 105.7, advise commuters to use Old Highway 41 as an alternate route causing traffic on the road. Because Old Highway 41 boasts only one lane each way, the backup makes students and commuters alike sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Students’ late arrival results in a delayed start of class time, slowing the progress of the class.

Magnet Leadership and Sociology teacher Coach Sam Fraundorf said, “I’ve had to delay class a couple of times for ten to fifteen minutes. My first block has magnet kids and they feel frustrated when they arrive late.”

Under the Department of Transportation’s Frequently Asked Questions on Cobb County’s homepage, the department explains reasons why students’ buses arrive or drop them off late such as weather, traffic, and unexpected driver absents. Phone calls regarding late buses should be phoned in ten to thirty minutes after the posted arrival time.

“Our driver shows up late everyday. It makes me feel like why am I standing out here waiting for a late bus when I could just go home and either skip a day or go in late,” junior Alex Ellis said.

The department stresses they do “everything humanly possible to have all buses running on schedule everyday”. They warn students and parents that constantly calling the school and the department will back up the system.

Despite the Department of Transportation’s efforts, students, especially Magnet students, must wait and sit on the bus long past 8:20. Students express their frustration and concerns through their social media.