To relieve issues created by a bus driver shortage and an increase in riders, Lamar CISD has adopted new school hours, primarily impacting students at the middle school and junior high level who will see the school day begin and end 50 minutes later than in previous years. Based on parental feedback, the district devised a system for the coming school year that it says ensures enough drivers for each route. Classes start Aug. 14. The district has moved from having two schedules, or tiers, for students to four, with each having different start and end times. view article

Parents of two Keller ISD students want answers after they say their children were left behind on a school bus for about seven hours this week before anyone realized. Sanjeeve Neupane of Fort Worth is the father of a 5-year-old who will begin kindergarten this fall at Keller ISD. This week, Neupane’s daughter was set to begin a summer school program at Basswood Elementary. Neupane recalls dropping off his daughter at Sunset Valley Elementary around 7 a.m. on Wednesday, where parents were instructed to meet the school bus. The bus was supposed to take his daughter and other students to Basswood by around 8 a.m., Neupane said. view article

A Texas bill that would end annual mandatory vehicle inspections in the state is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk after lawmakers voted to change state requirements on Sunday. In addition to eliminating the yearly inspections, House Bill 3297, authored by state Rep. Cody Harris (R-Palestine), creates a new annual $7.50 inspection replacement fee. This fee will be built into annual vehicle registration process fees. In a 20-11 vote, Texas Senators moved to get rid of state inspections, voting along party lines. GOP lawmakers argue the annual inspections are a burden to residents. HB 3297 also waives the new $7.50 inspection replacement fee on a host of different vehicle classes, including commercial vehicles, construction and road-building vehicles, or vehicles being driven under paper license plates. view article

No injuries in school bus crash in the Chapel Hill area Tuesday evening. According to the Chapel Hill ISD, no students were injured during the bus crash on the 10,100 block of County Road 280. The school bus driver was making a turn on a narrow road on County Road 280 and the bus got stuck in a ditch, according to Chapel Hill ISD. view article

A $1 million system that will allow Fort Bend ISD officials and parents to track students when they enter and leave school buses is expected to be in effect by next spring, according to a district official. Through the system, which will be funded as part of a $1.2 billion bond package approved by district voters on May 6, ridership program tablets will be installed on all Fort Bend ISD buses, said Mike Jones, the district's executive director of transportation. Students will scan their ID cards on a tablet near the bus door when they get on and off, Jones said. That will inform school authorities and parents in real time when and where a student enters or leaves. view article

A crash involving an Alvin Independent School District school bus has two frontage lanes of I-45 Gulf Freeway headed northbound shut down Wednesday morning. The crash was reported at 6:03 a.m. at I-45 Gulf near Fuqua Street. view article

Brownwood Independent School District announced the arrival of five new school buses, made possible by a grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The grant provided over half a million dollars and paved the way for the district to purchase five 2023-model buses, including two with wheelchair lifts. view article

Several elementary students have been reportedly injured after a school bus crash on SH-146 in Seabrook. Authorities responded to reports of a school bus crash located on SH-146 near Meyer Avenue around 3:50 p.m. view article

A Tyler ISD school bus was involved in a crash Tuesday morning on Old Jacksonville Road. The Tyler ISD Communications office confirmed that two students were on the bus around 9 a.m. and that no injuries were reported. No further details regarding the incident are available at this time as the incident is still under investigation. view article

Since Saturday, the people in Allen and surrounding communities have stepped up in a major way. The acts of service range from providing water, to mental and emotional support. One Allen ISD school bus driver was among those who answered an unexpected call for help. Monday through Friday, James Green has the important job of transporting children for Allen ISD. He never thought he’d get a call that would place him in the aftermath of Saturday's mass shooting. Like so many others, he got a news alert on his phone. view article

A missing school bus from the East Central ISD was recovered by police Thursday morning. “For East Central, this is a first," said Brandon Oliver, the school district's communications director. Officials said the bus was stolen sometime overnight from the. A stolen car was also found abandoned and stuck in the mud at the transportation yard where the bus was taken from. view article

An East Central Independent School District bus was recovered Thursday morning after it was stolen overnight from the district's transportation hub. The bus was located around 5 a.m. off Ingram Road near Callaghan Road East Central ISD officials said that they are working closely with the San Antonio Police Department, the Bexar County Sheriff's Office, and the East Central Police Department during the investigation. view article

A Tyler ISD school bus was involved in a traffic incident on the west side of the city. Police and EMS arrived on the scene of a wreck on W. Erwin Street and SSW Loop 323 at around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Reports said that there were no children on board the school bus at the time. view article

With the safety of students in mind, Bridge City Independent School District officials are making changes to their current route system. District officials said Bridge City ISD transports more than 1,000 students on 13 routes to and from school daily. Over the last few years, the district's transportation service department has faced a few challenges. view article

If you’re a parent, you know how hard it can be at times to get your kids to just sit down and have a seat. That problem is being amplified on Lamar Consolidated ISD school buses because there aren’t enough seats to go around. Some kids say they’re forced to sit on the floor of the buses. The fear is that the problem will get even worse as the district expands. Aside from the students feeling squished, parents say they’re most concerned for their children’s safety. “Something bad could happen,” said parent Matheus Baldo. “Three or four kids in one seat and no seat belt.” view article

For the 2023-24 school year, Katy ISD will be implementing radio-frequency identification systems in all district school buses, enabling parents and the district to track the movement of students as they enter and exit buses. On Monday, the school board approved an almost $1.3 million contract with RFID Services and SMART Tag to install equipment on buses that will monitor ridership, district documents show. view article

All students who were hospitalized in a Mineola ISD bus crash has been treated and released, according to an update from the school district. Eight people, including six students, were hospitalized following a school bus crash Monday morning. According to Mineola Independent School District, around 7:15 a.m., a Mineola bus was carrying 12 students when it was involved in a crash with another vehicle on Loop 564, north of the primary and middle school campuses. view article

Montgomery Independent School District parents soon will be able to track their child's bus route. For the 2023-24 school year, parents and the district's transportation department will use a SMART tag monitoring system. Students will be assigned an ID card that will register when and where they get on and off their school bus. The system also would provide bus arrival notifications for parents and school administrators. view article

Replacement of aging school buses is a focus of a proposition in La Porte ISD's $234 million bond package on the May 6 ballot. "Currently, our buses have poorly functioning air conditioning or no air conditioning, and they have limited seatbelts," said Adam Holland, the district's communications director. view article

Eight people including several students were taken to the hospital Monday morning after a school bus crash in the Mineola Independent School District. The crash happened around 7 a.m. on Loop 564 north of the primary and middle school campuses, Mineola ISD said on its Facebook page. Texas DPS says the driver of the school bus crossed the center strip and collided with a Nissan Versa. view article

Six Mineola ISD students sustained injuries after a school bus they were riding in was involved in a crash with another vehicle. According to a statement on social media by Mineola ISD Superintendent Cody Mize, the injuries were minor and the students were transported to a hospital for treatment. The remaining six students on the bus were treated at the scene and then released. The bus driver and the driver of the other vehicle involved have both been transported to a hospital as well for treatment. view article

Thirteen McKinney ISD parents are suing Durham School Services L.P., McKinney ISD and a bus driver after students were not taken on their regular bus route. On March 6, the lawsuit was filed alleging that the driver “willfully” detained 30 students, ranging from 6 to 11 years old, on Feb. 28 when the driver diverted the bus and arrived 30 to 45 minutes late, according to The Dallas Morning News. Claims in the lawsuit include general negligence on the part of McKinney ISD, Durham and the driver. 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.

Heavy rain and high water pushed a Northwest Independent School District bus off the road, where it became stuck Thursday morning, according to authorities. The bus was stopped at a red light on Texas 114 near Farm-to-Market Road 156 when swift water in a heavy rainstorm overtook the road and pushed the bus onto the shoulder, according to Emily Conklin, the district's communications director. view article

A student from Parker Intermediate School was struck by a vehicle as he was getting on his school bus Monday morning in north Harris County. view article

Frisco ISD has pulled four Blue Bird school buses from its fleet as a precaution after a bus that had been in service for five days caught fire on Tuesday. No one was injured. Representatives from manufacturer Blue Bird and dealer Rush Bus Center met with district staff Wednesday to view the burned bus and the four others. view article

Three students from Stehlik Intermediate School in the Aldine Independent School District were taken to an area hospital Tuesday morning after a minor collision with a cement mixer. The wreck happened about 8 a.m. on West Road at Deer Trail Drive as the bus was transporting students to the school at 400 West Road, a school district spokeswoman said. The school is just west of Interstate 45. view article