HAYS COUNTY, Texas — As families and students are reeling from a school bus crash that killed one child and one adult in Bastrop County on Friday, Tom Green Elementary has canceled Monday classes and is providing mental health services for those affected.
Forty-four pre-K students and 11 adults were on a school bus returning from a field trip to the Bastrop County Zoo on March 22 when a cement truck veered into the opposite lane and crashed into the bus.
One pre-K boy in the school bus and an adult male in another vehicle were both killed in the crash and 51 others were injured, including the bus driver, according to Eric Wright, superintendent of the school district.
Classes for Monday have been canceled, according to an update from Tom Green Elementary principal Jennifer Hanna released on Saturday at 5 p.m., but the school will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to offer counseling from specialized crisis and trauma counselors. Parents can request transportation for their students to attend by calling the school.
“As we mourn the loss of our student and support those who are injured, let us remember the strength of our community and the bonds that unite us. Together, we will find the strength to heal. Together, we are Hornet strong,” Hanna said.
As of Saturday, three staff members and two students were in the hospital. The school is still trying to contact the families of nine students for an update. One staff member is expected to be released from the hospital soon and two have “extensive recoveries ahead,” according to Hanna. Both students in the hospital “appear to be doing well” and are expected to be released soon.
Hanna said the school is “working directly with those on the bus” to return personal belongings left on the bus or lost at the crash site such as cell phones “as soon as possible.”
A GoFundMe created on Saturday for families affected by the crash has raised $66,640 as of Monday morning.