MISSOULA, Mont. — A school district here has proposed a plan to have seat belts installed on all new school buses, KPAX reports.

Mark Thane, the superintendent for Missoula County Public Schools, told the school board this week that the district plans to ask its contractor, Beach Transportation, to install seat belt and harness systems on all new buses as it begins negotiations for a new multi-year contract, according to the news source. Thane added that the district will ask the company to install seat belts on new buses this summer, and begin retrofitting a total of 42 buses that are 2010 and later models.

Thane told KPAX that it costs about $10,000 to retrofit an older bus with seat belts, and that the district will ask Beach Transportation to assign the older, retrofitted bus models to local, slow-speed routes.

The district begins contract negotiations later this month, and plans to purchase the seat belts by asking voters to re-approve an existing transportation levy, according to the news source.

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