Today (10/28/25), the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) sent NASDPTS an urgent safety recommendation with respect to the Leander, Texas school bus crash from August 2025. We ask that you read the following information, to include the crash description and the urgent recommendation, carefully.

The NASDPTS Board of Directors will be discussing this urgent recommendation at our November 13 meeting.

Leander, Texas Crash Description

On August 13, 2025, about 3:14 p.m. central daylight time, a 2025 77-passenger Blue Bird school bus, operated by the Leander ISD, was traveling south in the 22000 block of Nameless Road near Leander, Travis County, Texas, when it crossed over the centerline, returned to the travel lane, and then departed the roadway to the right. The bus subsequently rolled onto its right (or loading door) side, continued onto its roof, and then came to rest on its left (or driver’s) side on the slope adjacent to the roadway (see figure 1). During the rollover sequence, the bus struck roadside vegetation, causing additional damage to the roof and intrusion into the right side of the passenger compartment. At the time of the crash, the bus was transporting 46 student passengers between ages 4 and 10 from Bagdad Elementary School to their residences. Sixteen of the passengers and the driver were injured in the crash; no one was fatally injured.

The speed limit for Nameless Road is 45 mph with a curve advisory speed of 35 mph in the area of the bus’s roadway departure. The bus was traveling at a video-recorded speed of 45 mph when it crossed the centerline and 41 mph when it departed the roadway.2 At the time of the crash, the roadway was wet from light rain.

Lap/shoulder belts were available in all seating positions, and five-point harnesses for pre-school passengers’ use were available in some seats. However, only six of the 42 passengers visible in the onboard video footage (out of the 46 passengers onboard) were belted at the time of the crash. When the school bus departed the roadway and began to roll over, the unbelted passengers were thrown from their seating compartments and into the roof area, striking the ceiling of the school bus and other passengers. As the bus rolled further and came to rest, unbelted passengers ended up on the left side of the bus and on top of other passengers, the seats, and the left-side windows. The non-use of the available lap/shoulder belts and five-point harnesses by most passengers resulted in occupant-to-interior and occupant-to-occupant impacts, leading to injuries for many of the unbelted passengers. Of the six belted passengers, four were improperly belted, wearing only the lap portion of the lap/shoulder belt. The improperly belted passengers, using only the lap portion of the lap/shoulder belt, were only partially restrained and subject to injury from upper body flailing and occupant-to-occupant impact.

Additional information can be found here: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/HWY25MH014.aspx.

Urgent NTSB Recommendation to NASDPTS

Inform your members of the circumstances of the Leander, Texas, rollover crash, the lack of seat belt use by most passengers, and the need for school districts to establish enforceable policies and procedures for seat belt use on school buses so that every student and driver on every school bus equipped with passenger seat belts is properly restrained by lap/shoulder belts or five-point harnesses, as appropriate, on every trip. The policies and procedures should at a minimum include:

mandatory pre-departure driver instruction to students to properly belt and periodic pre-departure inspection by drivers or other staff to ensure that each student is properly belted;

periodic review of onboard video camera footage, when equipped, to verify seat belt use; and

increased training and education of school administrators and staff, bus drivers, parents, and students about proper seat belt use and adjustment, seat belt policies and procedures, the safety benefits of seat belt use, and the importance of being properly belted. (H-25-27) (Urgent).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 25, 2025

Contact: press@dot.gov

Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Takes Emergency Action to Protect America’s Roads, Restrict Non-Domiciled CDLs

New rule closes dangerous loopholes, holds states accountable, and launches immediate enforcement action against California for gross negligence

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today announced an emergency action to drastically restrict who is eligible for a non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits (CLPs) and commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs). The rule, effective immediately, comes in response to an ongoing nationwide audit by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and a recent series of horrific, fatal crashes caused by non-domiciled drivers. 

The audit has uncovered both a catastrophic pattern of states issuing licenses illegally to foreign drivers, as well as the fact that even if the current regulatory framework is followed, it can fail. The confluence of these two factors have created an imminent hazard on America’s roadways that must be fixed. 

Moving forward, non-citizens will not be eligible for a non-domiciled CDL unless they meet a much stricter set of rules, including an employment-based visa and underdoing a mandatory federal immigration status check using the SAVE system. 

A one-pager on the emergency actions can be found attached. 

“What our team has discovered should disturb and anger every American,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “Licenses to operate a massive, 80,000-pound truck are being issued to dangerous foreign drivers – often times illegally. This is a direct threat to the safety of every family on the road, and I won’t stand for it. Today’s actions will prevent unsafe foreign drivers from renewing their license and hold states accountable to immediately invaliding improperly issued licenses.” 

FMCSA’s nationwide audit non-domiciled CDLs uncovered systemic non-compliance across several states, the worst of with the most egregious of which in California. Due to weak oversight, insufficient training, and programming errors, the agency found a large number of non-domiciled CDLs were issued to:

• Drivers who were ineligible 
• Drivers whose licenses were valid long after their lawful presence in the U.S. expired

In California alone, more than 25% of non-domiciled CDLs reviewed were improperly issued. This opens the door to thousands of unsafe drivers on the road, including some with licenses extending as many as four years beyond the expiration date of their lawful presence documentation. In one shocking case, California gave a driver from Brazil a CDL with endorsements to drive a passenger bus and a school bus that was valid for months after his legal presence expired.

This is why in addition to the emergency rule, Secretary Duffy also announced direct enforcement action against California. The state must immediately:

1. Pause issuance of non-domiciled CDLs
2. Identify all unexpired non-domiciled CDLs that fail to comply with FMCSA regulations.
3. Revoke and reissue all noncompliant non-domiciled CDLs if they comply with the new federal requirements.

“California’s reckless disregard is frankly disgusting and an affront of the millions of Americans who expect us to keep them safe,” added Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “California must get its act together immediately or I will not hesitate to pull millions in funding. To every other state around the country – find all improperly issued CDLs and revoke their licenses now. We owe it to the American people to ensure only lawful, qualified drivers are operating big rigs on our highways.”

California has 30 days to come into compliance, or FMCSA will withhold federal highway funds — starting at nearly $160 million in the first year and doubling in year two.

FMCSA’s findings are in addition to at least five fatal crashes occurring since January involving non-domiciled CDL holders – all prompting Secretary Duffy’s urgent action to combat the direct threat to national security and the hazard to public safety. Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington were also identified as states with licensing patterns not consistent with federal regulations. 

Additional Information:

The announcement follows President Trump’s Executive Order earlier this year, which placed a renewed focus on roadway safety and directed the Department of Transportation to take swift action.

In June, Secretary Duffy announced a nationwide audit of states issuing non-domiciled CDLs and unveiled a pro-trucker package that includes millions to expand truck parking, removing one-size-fits-all mandates, modernizing driver resources, and slashing red tape.

In May, Secretary Duffy signed an order announcing new guidelines to strengthen English language enforcement for commercial truck operators. Under the new guidance, commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers who fail to comply with FMCSA longstanding English-language proficiency (ELP) requirements will be placed out-of-service.

In March, President Trump signed an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a proposal to repeal all greenhouse gas emission (GHG) standards for light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicles and engines. The proposed rule as well as notice of public hearings on this proposal follows.

Reconsideration of GHG Proposed Rule:

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-08-01/pdf/2025-14572.pdf

Public Hearing Notice:

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-08-01/pdf/2025-14555.pdf

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) have issued a notice that they are withdrawing the Advance Notice of Supplemental Proposed Rulemaking (ANSPRM) and the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on speed limiters. You can find the withdrawal notice here:

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-07-24/pdf/2025-13928.pdf

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published a proposed rule addressing the 5-point restraint systems for school buses today. Comments are due no later than June 30 and are welcome by anyone.

Click here for the notice.

Changes to FMVSS 213 and its impact on school transportation

NCST Resolution - RESOLUTION NO. 6 - 2025

NHTSA Recall ID Number: 25C006

Synopsis:

Dorel Juvenile Group (Dorel) is recalling certain Safety 1st Grow & Go Sprint child seats. The included model numbers are CC321GYU, CC321GYUD, CC321GYY, CC321GYYD, CC321HAO, and CC321HAR. The headrest foam pad is not adequately secured, which can allow a child to pick off pieces of foam. Pieces of foam can present a choking hazard to a child, increasing the risk of injury. Dorel will mail a replacement headrest pad assembly kit, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 9, 2025. Owners may contact Dorel's customer service at 1-877-657-9546 or gng-sprint-recall@djgusa.com.

Please click on the following NHTSA Recall ID links to view the recall information.

NHTSA Recall ID Number: 25C005

Synopsis:

Chicco USA, Inc. (Chicco) is recalling certain MyFit Zip Air Harness and Booster child restraint seats (CRS) with model numbers 07079561970070 and 04079561190070. In certain configurations, the child seat may allow excessive chest movement in a crash. As such, these child seats fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 213, "Child Restraint Systems." A child seat that fails to properly restrain a child increases the risk of injury in a crash. The remedy is currently under development. The manufacturer has not provided a schedule for recall notification. Owners may contact Chicco's customer service at 1-877-424-4226.

The National School Transportation Association (NSTA) has updated their website to include materials for the 2025 School Bus Driver International Safety Competition, which will be held in Austin, Texas June 28-29. On their Safety Competition page, you can find the Driver and Competition Handbook as well as the Judges application. Please feel free to share this information within your state. Here’s the link to the Safety Competition page: https://yellowbuses.org/Conferences-Events/School-Bus-Driver-International-Safety-Competition.

Press Release

Alternative Transportation Position Paper

January 22, 2025

Arlington, VA – Today, the national association representing state directors of pupil transportation released its position paper on Alternative Transportation. NASDPTS has created this position paper because of the ever-expanding need for Alternative Transportation to service Homeless, Foster, Special Education, and various other school transportation needs. This document is designed to help states as they work toward ensuring safe transportation and meeting vehicle requirements as they strive to protect student safety.

“Student safety is our top priority and there is no doubt that children are safest in the yellow school bus. States are, however, increasingly turning to other modes of transportation and we want to ensure that everyone has a resource available to help them navigate the options,” stated NASDPTS President Mike Stier.

Mike Stier thanked NASDPTS President-Elect Tyler Bryan who led the effort on this position paper and his committee for their tireless efforts. NASDPTS Position papers go through extensive review by both the Board of Directors and state directors prior to being released.

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Click Here | 2025 Alternative Transportation Position Paper

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced late yesterday that the deadline for the 2024 Clean School Bus Rebate Program has been extended to 4pmET on Tuesday, January 14. EPA expects to aware up to $956 million to fund new, zero-emission and clean school buses. For more information go to EPA’s Clean School Bus Program website: https://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus.