Grantham — A contract dispute between First Student and the union representing its bus drivers may have consequences for some school districts in New Hampshire, but the impacts shouldn’t be felt in the Upper Valley.

First Student spokesman Chris Kemper said the company’s Belmont, N.H., location is the only location in either New Hampshire or Vermont that doesn’t have an active collective bargaining agreement with employees. Therefore, districts that location serves — mostly Belknap County towns — should be the only ones that experience transportation disruptions, if union workers decide to strike.

All other locations have a collective bargaining agreement in place that includes a no-strike clause, Kemper said.

Despite that clause, Teamsters Union Local 633 Business Agent Jeff Padellaro told the Union Leader this week that all First Student employees could join the strike to support the cause if they wanted to. Repeated attempts to reach Padellaro were unsuccessful.

The contract dispute is over retirement benefits, specifically a pension plan, Kemper said.

Most school districts in the Upper Valley either own their own buses or rely on another national bus chain to transport children to and from school.

The Grantham School District, however, uses First Student.

Superintendent Jacqueline Guillette issued a letter to families at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, warning them about a potential disruption in transportation services and informing them of the ongoing situation.

The union authorized a strike on Monday, but the two sides plan to continue negotiations in a meeting in Washington, D.C., today. If there is not a settlement, some drivers may decide to form a picket line as soon as Thursday.

Guillette’s letter indicated Grantham had collaborated with the Lebanon School District and devised a plan to get Grantham’s middle and high school students to school in the city using Lebanon buses and drivers.

“Please remember that this will be a very fluid and dynamic situation, so information will change,” she said.

By Tuesday night, Guillette sent out another letter saying she had to reverse course on that plan.

The change came after the New Hampshire Department of Education commissioner held an emergency call with superintendents of schools that could be impacted.

That call, the details of which weren’t immediatly available, took place after Guillette had sent out her first letter.

What exactly would be done in the event that Grantham bus drivers went on strike isn’t yet set in stone; Guillette is in ongoing discussions with Lebanon officials.

Guillette spoke highly of the bus drivers who serve the Grantham area, and asked parents to explain the situation to their children carefully.

“We do not want to inadvertently hurt any of the relationships your children have with their drivers — the ones who get them to and from school safely day after day in all kinds of conditions,” Guillette said.

Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.