AUSTIN, Texas — Federal investigators are urging Leander school officials to ensure the proper use of seat belts on school buses following a review of an Aug. 13 school bus crash.

In an “urgent report” issued Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board found few students were wearing seatbelts despite the bus being equipped with passenger lap and shoulder belts. Investigators concluded the Leander school district “did not take sufficient action to ensure passengers were properly belted.”

The rollover crash occurred when a Leander school district bus veered off the road along Nameless Road near Palomino Drive. 46 elementary and middle school students and one adult were aboard the bus. Following the accident, seventeen people were taken to the hospital, but all were released the next day.

Texas code requires passengers on school buses equipped with seat belts to wear them; however, video footage showed that of 42 visible students, only six were wearing their seat belts, according to investigators.

The section of Nameless Road where the bus crashed is curved, and weather conditions at the time were rainy; however, investigators said the bus left the road “for an unknown reason,” according to the Austin American-Statesman.

Students who were unbelted or wore only the lap portion of a seat belt were more susceptible to injuries than those who wore a seat belt across their lap, the report said.

Investigators urged Leander schools to implement enforceable policies and procedures to ensure proper seat belt usage by every student and driver on a school bus equipped with seat belts. The report recommended mandatory driver instructions and routine audits to ensure passengers are properly wearing seat belts.

In a statement to families, Tracie Franco, the district’s senior director of transportation services said Leander “appreciate(s) the NTSB’s thorough review, which offers important lessons for school districts nationwide about ensuring consistent seat belt use on school buses,” according to the Austin American-Statesman.

The recommendations follow statewide initiatives to improve student transportation safety.

All Texas buses must carry seat belts, but currently many older buses don’t.

A new law enacted this year, Senate Bill 546, eliminated an exception for buses built before 2018 and required districts to report by the end of the year how many buses they operate or contract lack seat belts, have only two-point seat belts or have three-point seat belts. Districts must also report the cost of transitioning their bus fleets to three-point safety belts, seat belts that cover a rider’s lap and chest.

By Jan. 1, 2027, the Texas Education Agency must outline a report for the cost to equip all state school buses with seat belts.

This conversation follows a deadly bus crash in Bastrop County on March 22, 2024, that left a prekindergarten student and a 33-year-old man dead. The school bus did not have any safety belts.

AUSTIN, Texas – The University Interscholastic League is making changes to who is eligible to participate in varsity high school athletics.

UIL’s legislative council met Sunday and Monday to discuss rule changes in high school athletics across Texas. Among the changes coming is a ban on foreign exchange students from participating in UIL varsity athletics beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. The change comes in response to concerns about competitive advantage and fairness to Texas student-athletes.

What they’re saying:

“Our Texas kids are not allowed to go to a town, a neighboring town, without moving there and play at the varsity level, but they are allowed to get on a plane and come across to our state and play immediately, taking the place many times of a community kid that has worked hard to get that position on an athletic team,” Dr. Aaron Hood, Robert Lee ISD Superintendent, said.

Some, like Barbers Hill ISD Superintendent Dr. Greg Poole, agreed on the decision to ban foreign exchange students from varsity sports, but hopes the measure leads the way to closing open enrollment.

“You can tell teams that have a higher percentage of foreign exchange. You can also tell teams that have a higher percentage of open enrollment athletes,” Poole said. “I understand that’s not politically popular, but I throw it out there for the sake of the coaches that I have that feel like it’s unfair. I guess I would just say I hope we pass this, and I hope it opens the door for other motions.”

The rule only applies to varsity athletics and not other areas that the UIL has policies for, like academics and music.

Other policies passed by UIL

• The council approved a two-year pilot program to allow optional water polo spring training that begins immediately. The program would allow for 15 practices in a 30-day period after the state swimming championship. The athletic committee said this would allow the sport’s practice time to be more inline with other sports.
• The pilot status is being removed from a policy that allows coaches to coach up to two players in state association all-star games. The program was given initial approval in 2024 and is being made a rule following two years of positive feedback.
• An amendment that would require all schools in a competitive district to be included in the district schedule.
• An amendment that would require all scrimmages for boys and girls soccer to be completed before the “first day for games.”
• An amendment that would modify the current requirements that a coach must be a full-time employee or a student teacher to allow for student coaches completing field-based coaching hours as part of a university program to volunteer as assistant coaches.

The Standing Committee on Athletics will continue to study some other proposals

• A proposal to add girls’ flag football
• A proposal regarding softball and baseball noisemakers
• A proposal to add an Ambulatory Adaptive Division for UIL Track and Field
• A proposal to award points for Adaptive Track and Field events at the UIL Trackand Field State Meet.