1 killed in Idaho school bus crash with dump truck

KUNA, Idaho — One student was killed and four others were injured when a school bus collided with a dump truck on Thursday morning.

Idaho State Police are investigating the crash, which occurred at a rural intersection near Kuna around 8 a.m.

The school bus was transporting 10 children to an elementary school when the accident happened. One student succumbed to injuries at the scene. The four other children who were injured were transported to area hospitals.

Idaho State Police said that while it was too early to determine what caused the crash, it was known that the school bus was traveling east on Deer Flat Road, while the dump truck was moving north on Happy Valley Road. At the intersection of those two roads, there is a two-way stop for vehicles on Deer Flat Road.

Investigators were still at the scene hours after the crash. Officials said that more information will be released as it becomes available.

Kuna School District officials said that the student who was killed was a sixth-grader at Crimson Point Elementary.

“My heart goes out to the many students, families, and staff that have been impacted by this accident,” Superintendent Wendy Johnson said in a letter on the district website. “We have had a tremendous outpouring of support today from our district counselors, social workers and administrators, from the Ada County Sherriff’s Office, and from local school districts.”

Johnson said that all of the district’s schools have implemented a plan for responding to the tragedy and have focused on helping students maintain regular learning and everyday activities.

“All of our buses will have student services personnel riding along with students today so that if students are worried or have questions, they will have an adult they can talk to on their ride home,” Johnson added.

The district provided information to help teachers and support staff address the situation with students. For any students who may have been worried about riding the school bus home, staff members were asked to “please reassure them that riding the bus will be OK. School buses are the safest mode of transportation.”