The Martinsville Independent School District used a federal grant to replace four buses, which started transporting students last month. The principal believes he will save enough money on gas to hire a new teacher. view article

Update: The Socorro Independent School District placed De La Cruz on unpaid leave on November 17, 2023. The district tells ABC-7 she has worked with the district since September 2019. SOCORRO, Texas (KVIA) -- Socorro Police arrested a 50-year-old woman for allegedly encouraging a 14-year-old boy into a sexual relationship with her 13-year-old daughter, prosecutors said. view article

Specifically, 25 units of the Mega BEAST school bus will go to the Montebello School District, and another 10 BEAST school buses will go to the Garden Grove School District. The buses are paid for by the California HVIP programme and the EPA Clean School Bus Programme. The BEAST is a 40-foot Type D school bus with room for up to 90 passengers. The Mega BEAST, launched at the end of October, comes with a 387 kWh battery, allowing the school bus to complete up to 300 miles on one charge. According to GreenPower, it also has Vehicle-to-Grind (V2G) capabilities. The buses will be delivered via GreenPower’s exclusive California dealer Model 1 (formerly Creative Bus Sales), which also officially ordered the above-mentioned units. view article

MARTINSVILLE, Texas (KTRE) - Out of Martinsville ISD’s eight buses, four of them are now electric after the district applied for and received a $1.6 million grant from the EPA. Associate Superintendent Will Cauthen said he wanted to be sure the grant would benefit the district before applying. “When we first started the process, it took a while for us to get on board and go okay will this meet our needs. They did a great job of being open about what they were able to provide, and it fit our bill very well,” said Cauthen. Martinsville ISD runs four routes morning and evening, some routes traveling as far as 80 miles away. view article

The Martinsville Independent School District used a federal grant to replace four buses, which started transporting students last month. The principal believes he will save enough money on gas to hire a new teacher.Keith Kimbrough is the first to admit that electric school buses were not an easy sell in the tiny, unincorporated town of Martinsville. In Martinsville, which sits just outside of Nacogdoches in the Piney Woods of East Texas, pickup trucks are the vehicle of choice, and oil field jobs are prevalent. Diesel exhaust is not top of mind.  And yet the modest school district here has become the first in the state to entirely replace its diesel school bus fleet with no-emission electric buses. Martinsville ISD applied for and received a $1.6 million grant last year from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Its Clean School Bus Program — funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law of 2021 — is investing $5 billion to replace existing school buses with zero-emission and low-emission models across the country, especially in school districts that serve rural areas or low-income students. view article

Students on an Aldine ISD school bus Wednesday morning described a chaotic scene after an unleashed dog made its way on board and attacked multiple people. The district said the dog bit two students and a school bus driver, who were taken to the hospital for their injuries. view article

Waco Independent School District trustees signaled retaining teachers, student achievement, family and community support and school safety as priorities after administrators presented a 105-page district improvement plan in two workshop sessions. Underlying those broad goals, however, are thorny challenges the board will face in coming months, including a transition to district-run busing, the June 2024 expiration of the contract with in-district charter Transformation Waco and possible closure of the Brazos High School credit recovery center, all shadowed by clouds of declining enrollment, revenue cuts and deficit budgets. view article

Due to expected fog and road conditions, Hamshire-Fannett ISD is delaying the start of classes on Monday (Oct. 23) due to fog and road conditions. view article

As a student, evening activities could be significantly impacted if an hour’s worth of homework looms following a busy day at school. Although focusing on academics at home is necessary, CFBISD technology, partnered with transportation, found a way to help students utilize their time more efficiently during their daily commute. This past summer wireless cradlepoints were installed in all 93 district school buses. Students can now hop on the bus and remain connected to the school’s wifi on all their devices. view article

On Sept. 29, bus driver Raquel Radford-Baker began her shift just like any other. "Miss Rocky," as the kids call her, is serious about safety. "They're all my babies, every last one of them." She was filling in for another bus driver that day. But as it turns out, she was in the right place at the right time. Radford-Baker was about to drop off students at Seagoville North Elementary School when something went wrong—all of it caught on surveillance video. view article

Five of the six students and a bus driver who were hospitalized after a crash involving a school bus and an 18-wheeler Wednesday afternoon have been released. view article

A seventh grader at Drew Academy, which is part of the Aldine Independent School District, is facing charges after allegedly assaulting a girl on the bus ride home. The victim was left with serious injuries, according to her mother. view article

SPRING, TX – National School Bus Safety Week is set for Oct. 16-20. And with more than 14,000 students taking the bus daily in Spring ISD, the Transportation Department is honoring the occasion all week long. This year’s theme is Safely Rolling to Our Destination. National School Bus Safety Week is a public education program aimed at letting parents, students, teachers, community motorists, school bus operators, school administrators, and other interested parties join forces and address the importance of school bus safety. “School buses are considered to be the safest form of transportation on the road, and yet we still need everyone involved — drivers, students, parents and motorists — to be aware of bus safety rules,” Director of Transportation Christina Riojas said. “Our drivers and our entire department works tirelessly every day to bring our students to and from school safely, but it takes a village to ensure this happens.” Spring ISD buses travel around 2 million miles per year, transporting not only students to and from school but also students with special needs, various CTE groups, academic and athletic activities, and many others. view article

SPRING, TX – National School Bus Safety Week is set for Oct. 16-20. And with more than 14,000 students taking the bus daily in Spring ISD, the Transportation Department is honoring the occasion all week long. This year’s theme is Safely Rolling to Our Destination. National School Bus Safety Week is a public education program aimed at letting parents, students, teachers, community motorists, school bus operators, school administrators, and other interested parties join forces and address the importance of school bus safety. “School buses are considered to be the safest form of transportation on the road, and yet we still need everyone involved — drivers, students, parents and motorists — to be aware of bus safety rules,” Director of Transportation Christina Riojas said. “Our drivers and our entire department works tirelessly every day to bring our students to and from school safely, but it takes a village to ensure this happens.” Spring ISD buses travel around 2 million miles per year, transporting not only students to and from school but also students with special needs, various CTE groups, academic and athletic activities, and many others. view article

It was a scary Friday the 13th in Spring Branch East on Friday, where a school bus caught fire with students on board. It happened near Kingsride Lane close to Memorial City Mall. Cellphone video captured the smoke and flames coming from the bus. view article

Waco Independent School District is aiming to operate its own bus system for the first time in 36 years, citing growing dissatisfaction with the performance of the district's transportation contractor. view article

Each year, millions of parents trust bus drivers to get their kids to and from school safely. A Snyder mother is filled with regret after her triplet 9-year-old daughters were injured on a bus ride home from summer school. The incident happened on June 27, 2023. Several cameras on the bus captured the moment a Snyder ISD bus driver ran over a rough patch in the road while holding papers against the steering wheel. view article

During a special meeting of the Eanes ISD board of trustees Oct. 3, the board approved a proposal from automotive company Tesla to provide vehicles to the district’s forming police department. The gist After Superintendent Jeff Arnett negotiates a final contract with Tesla, the district will receive nine electric vehicles, Tesla Model Y’s, for a total of $444,420, but with a likely rebate, the total would equate to $376,920, according to EISD officials. This will equip all of the officers in the department with a vehicle. “It’s a conversation about all or none because we wouldn’t want one of our officers to not have access to a vehicle when other officers have that capability,” Arnett said Oct. 3. The district estimates the one-time cost of installing charging stations will be $3,000. The average cost to charge these vehicles is up to $640 a year, which is about an average of $1,360 less a year than it costs to fuel a gas vehicle such as a Chevrolet Tahoe or a Ford Expedition, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s vehicle cost calculator. view article

Riviera ISD is one of many school districts across the Coastal Bend that's dealing with a bus driver shortage. Their possible solution is offering teachers within the district a one-time stipend worth hundreds of dollars for those who get their Commercial Drivers License (CDL). view article

The 39-year-old woman and 31-year-old man arrested last week at the La Joya school district are accused of creating false documents indicating school buses were properly inspected when they weren’t, according to a probable cause affidavit. Laura Lizbeth Rodriguez-Cornejo and Jose Pablo Rios, both of Peñitas, are charged with tampering with governmental records. According to a probable cause affidavit, Rodriguez-Cornejo, the La Joya ISD transportation clerk, facilitated 58 school buses vehicle identification numbers at an inspection station called Pablo’s Scrap Metal & Used Auto Parts in Peñitas. view article

Traffic is being diverted in the area of FM 346 and FM 2493 following a wreck involving a Tyler ISD bus. Traffic is being diverted to Church Street in Flint. According to Tyler ISD spokeswoman Jennifer Hines, five middle school students were on the bus but no students nor the driver were hurt. Hines said a vehicle ran into the side of the bus just south of the four-way stop in Flint. view article

MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas — Teacher and bus driver shortages have been going on for some time now. However, in China Spring ISD, the district superintendent is taking the drivers seat to get kids to school — literally. It’s a 5:30 a.m. wake-up call for Dr. Marc Faulker, as he starts his bus route at 6:30 a.m. every Monday through Thursday. “At first, I'll be honest, I was a little worried about how much time it would take out of my day, “ Dr. Faulkner said. As the district faces a bus driver shortage, Dr. Faulkner decided to pick up some slack. “I had a bus certification, so I picked up one of those routes,” Dr. Faulkner said. After Dr. Faulker completes his routes, he looks over the district. “It’s parent phone calls, it’s you know dealing with media, its TEA’s," Dr. Faulkner said. "With this being a legislative year, a lot of new laws and things were changed this summer, so I'm putting those into play and practice for our district.” When he’s not in his office, Dr. Faulker spends his time in the classroom. Recent Stories from kxxv.com view article

MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas — Teacher and bus driver shortages have been going on for some time now. However, in China Spring ISD, the district superintendent is taking the drivers seat to get kids to school — literally. It’s a 5:30 a.m. wake-up call for Dr. Marc Faulker, as he starts his bus route at 6:30 a.m. every Monday through Thursday. “At first, I'll be honest, I was a little worried about how much time it would take out of my day, “ Dr. Faulkner said. As the district faces a bus driver shortage, Dr. Faulkner decided to pick up some slack. “I had a bus certification, so I picked up one of those routes,” Dr. Faulkner said. view article

LA JOYA, TEXAS (ValleyCentral) — The Texas Department of Public Safety arrested a La Joya Independent School District clerk Thursday during an investigation that involved school bus inspections. The Department of Public Safety arrested Laura Rodriguez, a transportation department clerk, on Thursday morning. Rodriguez realized some La Joya ISD school buses needed inspections, but the district was closed for summer break, said attorney Jaime “Jerry” Muñoz of Pharr, who represents the school district. Rodriguez contacted a local business, which provided La Joya ISD with inspection stickers — even though the school buses had not actually been inspected. “This was a one-time, isolated incident,” Muñoz said. “The employee acted alone. And self-reported.” Rodriguez reported what she did, Muñoz said, which resulted in the investigation. view article

Lake Travis ISD students who go 10 consecutive days without riding the bus will be dropped from the service in accordance with a district policy that went into effect Sept. 5. The new measure comes as the LTISD works to provide bus services for waitlisted students amid bus driver shortages. What you need to know On Sept. 5, Lake Travis ISD announced that it would begin unregistering students who didn’t ride the bus for 10 consecutive days to make spots for students who are waitlisted. Students may now be dropped from bus services beginning Sept. 19 and would need to reregister to regain access; however, newly registered students may be waitlisted if their route is at capacity, said Evalene Murphy, LTISD assistant superintendent for employee and community relations. The district is asking parents to unregister their students for bus services on Skyward if they are no longer needed. While around 64% district's 11,000 students are registered for bus services, only 33% are riding the bus each day, LTISD Director of Transportation Paula Miller said. view article

Troy ISD parents are concerned about the safety of their special needs children after two separate incidents involving students who were not where they were supposed to be. Meghan Killen told KWTX her 6-year-old daughter, Kelsey, who has down syndrome, takes the bus from school to daycare every day. Meghan was working 30 minutes outside of Troy when she got a call from her daughter’s daycare that Kelsey never got off the bus, but an hour went by before Meghan got that call. view article

Across the nation, school districts are having a hard time keeping and hiring bus drivers. One local school district, Comal ISD, is becoming greatly effected. As one of the fastest growing and largest districts in the San Antonio area, the district covers over 500 square miles in five different counties with over 27,000 students attending. view article

Some Brenham ISD parents are concerned about the safety of their children aboard school buses, while the district struggles to find people to drive them. Overcrowding and longer run times for some buses has parents worried and debating whether their children should be using school transportation. One parent, Cassi Harrison, has pulled her three children off after she says her daughter had to sit on the floor of her elementary school bus, which had students from two bus routes. Harrison says the safety of the children needs to be addressed. view article

A driver was shot before crashing into a Spring ISD school bus Tuesday morning in north Harris County, officials say. This happened on FM 1960 near Rolling Creek just before 7:30 a.m. Deputies are in the 1600 block of FM 1960, where a @SpringISD bus has crashed with another vehicle. The driver of that vehicle has a gunshot wound. No reports of injuries to students. view article

After four days of frustration over Houston ISD’s new transportation system, which parents widely have derided, Amanda Marshall wanted to know exactly how her 10-year-old son, Henry, was getting to his magnet school. view article

Two Austin ISD buses were involved in a crash in southeast Austin on Wednesday morning, and both police and the district say no injuries have been reported. view article

Several Conroe ISD elementary school students had minor injuries after a car slammed into their school bus. School officials said 58 students from Ford Elementary were on board at the time of the incident this morning. view article

An Abilene ISD bus driver was assaulted Monday morning. Police reports say the driver was transporting students back to the Abilene State Supported Living Center when one of the students refused to stay in his seat. The driver pulled over when he wouldn't sit down as requested, and after she stopped the bus, "the student began punching and kicking the bus driver," according to the reports. view article

The Pottsboro Independent School District’s board of trustees discussed a resolution to receive funding for a service they already provide during their regular meeting earlier this week. PISD Superintendent Kevin Matthews explained that Texas law does not provide transportation funding to school districts if the district is transporting students that live within two miles of the schools they attend, unless those areas are dangerous for students to cross. In this situation, that is the case, Matthews said. The board identified five areas they qualified as hazardous: Highway 289, Highway 120, FM 996, FM 1417 and Cardinal Lane. - See more at: http://heralddemocrat.com/news/schools/pottsboro-isd-board-identifies-dangerous-roads-stresses-student-safety#sthash.NCQqqUs4.dpuf view article

Humble Independent School District is hiring bus drivers for the 2015-2016 school year. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply online or visit a weekly job fair, held every Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1703 Wilson Rd, Humble, Texas, 77396. Humble ISD offers paid training to qualified applicants.