HUTTO, Texas — During the hottest day of the year, some students in Hutto were dealing with no air conditioning on their school buses.
On Wednesday, school buses were being repaired by subcontractors at the district's transportation facility, where bus drivers were given ice chests and cold water for drivers and students alike, according to Hutto ISD Interim Superintendent Cara Malone.
Currently, there are 16 buses without functioning air conditioning. There are 100 buses total in the district.
"When it gets so hot, some of our older busses begin to struggle a little bit," Malone said.
Malone noted other measures were also being taken, such as lowering the windows on the bus, opening the vents and encouraging teachers on campuses to have students not wait out in the heat as long and ensuring that water bottles were being filled up.
The interim superintendent added that the district was also trying to keep routes as short as possible.
"We are working really hard to try to alleviate the situation," Malone said. "And I just want all parents to know that the safety of our students is is truly utmost priority. And so, we'll keep working at it."
The district added 15 new buses last year. Officials said Hutto ISD plans to add 12 new ones to replace the older models this fall.
Malone said while it takes roughly five hours to repair broken A/C systems, it's unclear when the buses will be fully repaired.
"We'll keep working until we solve the issue or the weather gives us a little bit of a break," Malone said.