There was "limited seat belt use" among students on a Leander ISD school bus involved in a rollover this month, an investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety has found. Officials said the driver of the bus was also not properly wearing a seat belt.
The bus was carrying 46 students from Bagdad Elementary School when it rolled over on Aug. 13. Seventeen people, including the driver, were taken to the hospital.
Leander ISD Superintendent Bruce Gearing said at a press conference this month that the school bus was a 2024 model with seat belts and that students were required to wear them.
"While state law does not hold districts legally responsible for seatbelt use, we expect students to buckle up whenever seatbelts are available," the district said in a letter sent to Bagdad Elementary families and staff Tuesday. "To strengthen this standard, drivers will now check seatbelt use before departure. These expectations for our staff members will be added to our transportation and district handbooks."
Dash cam video released by Leander ISD shows the bus crossing the double yellow line before leaving the right side of the road and rolling over. Officials said the driver was not impaired.
The driver does not face any criminal charges, but has been cited with two traffic violations for failure to drive in a single lane and improper use of a seat belt. The driver is no longer employed with the district.
