June 15, 2010
SUBJECT: Potential Use of School Buses in the Event of a Mandatory Evacuation
To the Administrator Addressed:
The purpose of this letter is to address the potential use of school buses or facilities in
the event of an evacuation related to an approaching catastrophic hurricane or other
unforeseen hazard. The evacuation of all or part of the population from a stricken or
threatened area may be recommended by the Governor or may be ordered by the
county judge or mayor of a municipality with local jurisdiction and authority if necessary
for the preservation of life or other disaster mitigation, response, or recovery (Secs.
418.017 and 418.108(f), Government Code).
Lessons learned from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Dean, and Ike have shown that there will
be individuals who lack transportation and will need to be evacuated from surge zones
prior to the arrival of tropical storm winds. Evacuating these individuals will likely require
the use of public school buses. In addition, it may be necessary to use school facilities in
some situations to provide adequate temporary shelter for evacuees.
I hope that school administrators and designated Education Service Center personnel
will work closely with local first responders and emergency management directors. Your
role is to ensure that public school resources are made available when a disaster
requires the use of public school buses for evacuation and school facilities for temporary
shelter. These resources can play an extremely important role in protecting the life and
well-being of Texans in the event of catastrophic conditions.
Thank you for all you do to keep Texans safe during a natural disaster.
Sincerely,
Robert Scott
Commissioner of Education
RS/mp