Parent urges Eagle Pass ISD to address lack of air conditioning on school buses

A parent told the Eagle Pass Independent School District board on Sept. 9 that many district school buses lack working air conditioning and that the problem is harming students and drivers. “On August 18, I emailed every school board member that has been elected about the lack of air conditioning in our school buses, but only mister Jaime Varera responded,” Diana Cruz Montoya said during the public-comment period.

Montoya, whose son Luke is an eighth grader at Eagle Pass Junior High School and is nonverbal and autistic, said students who ride buses have experienced sustained high temperatures. “Over the past 21 days, temperatures on the bus have averaged about a 96 degrees Fahrenheit, not accounting for the heat index,” she said. Montoya said children arrive home “sweating and with red faces” and that heat creates risk for heat-related illness and added strain for drivers and aides.

She told trustees that many families cannot arrange alternate transportation and urged the board to prioritize cooling and safety over other facility projects. Montoya said she is familiar with budgeting from her roles with the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars and called on the district to make student transportation a top priority.

The remarks were delivered during the meeting’s citizens communications segment; the board did not take action on the issue during the session. Montoya said many parents are unaware they can raise concerns at board meetings and urged broader community engagement.

The district did not provide an immediate response at the meeting. Montoya stressed the concern applies across routes and families, and asked the board to treat bus cooling as a district priority moving forward.