LACY LAKEVIEW, Texas (KXXV) — Connally Independent School District has placed a bus driver and aide on administrative leave after a student was left unattended on a school bus for an entire school day.
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A driver found the student on the bus in the afternoon. The district determined the student was left behind following the morning route.
Connally ISD is working with Texas Rural Student Transportation to investigate the failure. The district is also self-reporting the incident to oversight agencies for further investigation and audits.
"Regardless of the cause, we acknowledge the significance of this event and commit to putting additional checks and fail-safes into place to prevent something like this from ever happening again," Connally ISD said.
Texas Rural Student Transportation sent me a statement about the incident, saying the driver is no longer with the company.
"The safety and well-being of every student we serve is our highest priority. We are aware of an incident involving a student who remained on a bus beyond the completion of a route.
Upon notification, the situation was addressed promptly, and the student was evaluated and found to be safe. The matter has been reported in accordance with applicable requirements, and we are cooperating with the appropriate authorities.
This incident involved a failure to follow established procedures. The employee involved is no longer with the company.
We maintain established child-check protocols requiring drivers to physically inspect their buses at the conclusion of each route. These procedures are supported through training, supervision, and compliance measures. We are reinforcing these protocols and reviewing our processes to further strengthen oversight."
In a separate, unrelated incident, a district school bus was involved in a rear collision.
Bus 108 crashed on the access road to Interstate 35 near the Road Ranger convenience store. No students were on the bus at the time, and the driver was not injured.
The Lacy Lakeview Police Department responded to the scene.
"According to the officer’s report, the bus driver was traveling on the southbound I35 frontage road coming up to the New Dallas Highway intersection when a white SUV failed to yield right of way and struck the rear quarter panel of the bus, then fled the scene without staying to exchange information.
There were no children on board and no reported injuries by the bus driver. This investigation is ongoing, and if anyone has any information, they can contact the Police Department at 254-799-2479 option 1 and reference Case #26-0291."
The district stated it is reviewing all safety procedures following both incidents.
"Connally ISD's transportation services are contracted through Texas Rural Student Transportation. TRST has procedures in place to prevent things like this from happening, but it is clear that they were not followed yesterday. They are conducting an ongoing investigation and audit of what happened and will enforce the appropriate response to the situation to ensure that something like this does not ever happen again and that the appropriate agents are held accountable. They have already started the process of reviewing and reiterating procedures with their employees. Connally ISD has been in contact with Texas Rural and has reiterated our expectations for the services that the company provides us. Student safety remains our top priority."
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