LGISD to Eliminate Bus Stops on Hwy 71 Following Fatality

School District Has Targeted Places to Completely Pull Off Highway; US 77 Routes Now Being Examined

La Grange ISD Superintendent Andy McHazlett said the school is working on a plan to eliminate bus stops on SH 71 following the fatal crash that happened behind a school bus last week.

The wreck happened after school last Tuesday while a bus was unloading kids near the Tuck Stop RV Park near West Point.

McHazlett said he and other school officials drove the entire length of SH 71 within the school district on Wednesday. They spoke with property owners and identified several locations for school buses to pull off the highway before unloading students.

“It might be an inconvenience for some parents who’ll have to come pick their kids up from these locations, but we’re doing this for safety,” McHazlett said.

McHazlett added that La Grange ISD was “very lucky” that none of the students were injured or killed in the crash last Tuesday.

A woman from Austin died when her car crashed into the back of an 18-wheeler that had stopped for the bus. The Texas Department of Public Safety had still not identified the woman as of Sunday.

Last month a car passed a bus on the shoulder while kids were about to get off at the same location.

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office and State Troopers have stepped up patrols in response to the passing incident last month. Still, McHazlett said the safest solution is for the school to eliminate bus stops on the highway altogether.

McHazlett said the school already adjusted some stops last week. He expected the new bus stops to be fully implemented this week. He said the district is looking at ways to eliminate stops of US 77 as well. He said the school will inform parents about the route changes.