“The failure of transportation is my responsibility,” former chief operating officer Scott Washington told the Banner on Wednesday. “Because of the result of transportation, I resigned.”

Zūm, a California-based school bus contractor that just took over about half of the district's routes, said it could not cover 20 routes for the rest of the week. And parents have reported widespread problems with buses arriving nearly an hour late or not at all.

So many school buses showed up late, or didn’t show up at all, that Howard County schools Superintendent Michael Martirano apologized to families in an email.

With the first day of school right around the corner, here’s a primer on the Baltimore area’s new school leaders, bus changes, COVID policies and more.

Despite policies that limit when students can use their phones, teachers say confiscating them can lead to unnecessary battles — often involving parents — that take even more time away from instruction.

Baltimore-area school districts offered bonuses, raised salaries, held dozens of job fairs and tried improving work culture to keep the teachers they have and hire new ones.

The Baltimore City schools district has joined a national suit that seeks to hold the owners of Facebook, TikTok and other social media companies accountable for alleged ‘predatory behavior’ that has fueled and worsened mental health in teens.

The board on Tuesday night approved a map selected by a 42-person committee without making any changes.

Kayla Drummond, a rising senior at Parkville High School, will be the first student board member with budgetary voting rights thanks to legislation signed by the governor earlier this year.

Felicia Stolusky, a former educator and school board member, was sworn in Friday, ending the monthslong delay in filling the last governor-appointed board seat.

Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Myriam Yarbrough began her tenure this week with news conference where she detailed how she will keep her word on making hers one of the best districts in the state.

The Maryland State Department of Education is launching a Maryland Tutoring Corps program to address low math test scores.

Myriam Yarbrough has a contract that’s largely similar to her predecessor’s — but with an added clause on how she’s expected to interact with the school board and the public.

A board member requested Halstead Academy kids attend Dumbarton Middle School, putting the brakes on approval of a new school boundary map that took months to complete.

Myriam Yarbrough, an educator who has served in school systems in Baltimore and Montgomery counties, will succeed Darryl Williams as superintendent in July.

The county’s School Program for Acceleration and Recovery of Credit program and building relationships with students are what Overlea High School’s principal said contributed to the school’s graduation rate improvement.

The suit seeks a temporary restraining order to prevent the Oldfields School board from selling the land to Garrison Forest School.

Salaries for new Baltimore County Public Schools teachers will go from $52,927 to $58,500 starting next school year.

Myriam Yarbrough, the next Baltimore County Schools superintendent, said she believes in the system’s potential.

Following months of confusion about the school’s fate, Baltimore County’s school board approved Golden Ring Middle School’s closure Tuesday night.