Hays CISD rallies together after bus accident

Ulises Rodriguez Montoya[/caption]

BUDA — Following the school bus accident that left more than 50 injured and an adult and a student deceased, Hays CISD Superintendent Eric Wright provided a status update on the aftermath of the incident.

At approximately 2:17 p.m. on Friday, March 22, a Tom Green Elementary School bus was returning from a field trip at the Capital of Texas Zoo in Cedar Creek, headed west on Highway 21, when a concrete truck veered into its lane.

“The plan was for [the children] to return to Tom Green from the field trip and then, they would be there at dismissal time to then begin their regular route home,” said Hays CISD Chief Communication Officer Tim Savoy.

Ryan Wallace, 33, of Bastrop, who was following behind the school bus in a 2024 Hyundai when the accident happened, crashed into the bus and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ryan Wallace[/caption]

Wallace was a PhD student at the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Texas. According to the school’s website, his research focused on how science is portrayed in the media and how it can be better explained. When he wasn’t researching, Wallace spent his time at the university teaching a science communication course.

A GoFundMe, which can be found at gofund.me/8b75f962, has been created for his family.

Following the collision, nine emergency agencies responded to the scene, where 53 individuals were evaluated at an on-scene triage. Four individuals were transported by STAR Flight helicopters to hospitals in Austin, while six with serious injuries traveled via ambulance.

More than half of the school’s pre-kindergarten students were on the bus — which did not have seatbelts — confirmed Wright, including students from the bilingual class and three deaf students from the special education classes. There were also 11 teachers and teaching aides on the bus at the time of the crash.

“The adults that were on the bus, even though they sustained injuries, were making sure that the kids were receiving support …  Once the driver was cut out of her seatbelt, she was helping because she was a familiar face to the kids. So, as they were transitioning [off of the bus], she was there to support them, as well. She put the kids above herself and served them during their crisis,” said Wright. "It was heroic."

All of the staff members that were on board are heroes, said Savoy, but the bus driver, whose name has not been released by the district, is facing a different battle.

“She’s very sore physically, but it’s more difficult for her mentally because nobody wants to lose a child,” explained Wright. “I told her [that] based on all the evidence we have — with the concrete truck veering over into her lane, her evasive action — saved all the rest of the lives. So, we do consider her to be a hero, but in her mind, she is carrying that heavy burden.”

The child lost was 5-year-old Ulises Rodriguez Montoya. The dinosaur-loving boy adored his family, going to school and the color green, said a news release.

PHOTO BY ASHLEY KONTNIER
Tiffany Reyna, right, and her daughter Emma joined in to "Chalk the Walk" at Tom Green Elementary School before students came back to campus on Tuesday.[/caption]

“Ulises was a child who was filled with a lot of happiness and he often shared it with others,” said his teacher, Naira Solís Shears. “He had a talent for drawing and his favorite thing to draw was dinosaurs. He could almost completely spell the word dinosaur, which demonstrates how smart he was. He always had a dinosaur drawn on all of the assignments he turned in. He liked to tell stories and shared many with his friends and family. Above all — he was a loving child.”

Wright, who visited with the family on Monday, March 25, expressed that it has been difficult for them. As of now, the family is beginning their grieving process, waiting for family members to fly in from across the country and planning Ulises’ funeral service. A GoFundMe, which can be found at , is available to alleviate funeral expenses for the Rodriguez Montoya family.

“We just let them know that we’re here for them and basically prayed with them and hugged their necks,” the superintendent said. “We consider ourselves a family. Anytime I address the district, we refer to it as the Hays CISD family and personally, I feel like I’ve lost one of my family members.”

Currently, there are four individuals still in the hospital, two adults and two children, one of which is expected to be released soon. The adults, on the other hand, have a seemingly long journey ahead of them. Savoy explained that the two staff members sustained very serious injuries that will require a tremendous amount of time to heal, with extensive physical therapy.

The district is prepared to continue to support both the two staff members who remain in the hospital, as well as every other individual who was affected by the incident. A GoFundMe has been established to aid with the medical bills and other expenses they may face.

The fundraiser, located at , has garnered more than $85,000 at the time of publication. Savoy explained that this is a general fund and will be dispersed to families that were affected.

Since the accident, school districts, government entities, the governor and community members across Texas have expressed their support for the campus.

“We are heartbroken over the loss of a young Tom Green Elementary School student and an adult in another vehicle. The Buda community grieves with you and we pray for healing and comfort for those who are injured and still recovering and processing this tragedy,” wrote the city of Buda. “Thank you to the teachers, bus drivers, school administrators, first responders and medical personnel who bravely responded and cared for our precious students following this accident.”

PHOTO BY ASHLEY KONTNIER
Dressed in green, Cadence Pugh, left, and her mom Crystal Pugh color a rainbow on the sidewalk at Tom Green Elementary School. Community members were asked to wear green on Monday, March 25 as a show of support for the school.[/caption]

“The Capital of Texas Zoo is heartbroken to have learned that not long after leaving the zoo from their field trip this morning, the bus carrying the students from Tom Green Elementary in Buda was involved in a tragic accident,” said Michael Hicks of Capital of Texas Zoo. “The staff, parents and students of Tom Green Elementary are in our thoughts and prayers. We extend our deepest condolences to everyone involved. We understand the impact this incident may have on the community and are here to offer support in any way we can during this difficult time.”

Governor Greg Abbott expressed his condolences, as well, stating, “Cecilia and I are saddened to hear about this tragic incident and we ask all Texans to join us in prayer for Tom Green Elementary School students and families during this difficult time.”

Counselors from across the state have offered their services, such as bilingual counselors from the Gulf Coast and from Hill Country MHDD, counselors from other school districts and Hays CISD itself. And training will be provided for teachers to learn the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, as well as parents, so they can be connected to resources if they need them.

“The district hopes that the [Department of Public Safety] accident reconstruction investigation will be able to provide more information about whether a seatbelt may have made a difference for the student who died in the accident, but at this time, we just don’t know the answer,” said Savoy.

As for the future, Savoy explained that they are immediately going to discuss options to replace the buses that do not have seatbelts. There are 109 regular route buses, he said, and 15 of them lack seatbelts. These will soon be replaced with 21 buses that are already in a queue to have GPS and camera equipment installed. Still, there are an additional 87 “spare buses,” which are often used for field trips, extracurriculars, etc., without seatbelts. So, the goal is to accelerate the annual replacement of 15-20 buses to replace them all, said Savoy.

Further discussion will be provided in the upcoming months.

PHOTO BY ASHLEY KONTNIER
A hand-drawn picture of dinosaurs sits at the base of the school sign in memory of Ulises Rodriguez Montoya.[/caption]

School was canceled for TGES on Monday, March 25, to provide specialized crisis and trauma counseling on a voluntary basis, but resumed on Tuesday, as the students were requesting “to see their friends,” said Savoy.

“In the days and weeks ahead, we will face a long road of healing and recovery. Let us come together to provide comfort and solace to one another, offering a shoulder to lean on and listening ear for those who need it most. During this time, I encourage each and every one of you to prioritize self-care and seek support if needed,” said TGES principal Jennifer Hanna.

“It’s nice to be able to put everything else aside and focus on humanity,” emphasized Wright. “And so, to all the people that are stepping in and supporting. I just want to tell them thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”