As school begins, the Texas Highway Patrol released a statement that school districts can instantly verify records of their school bus drivers online. And a new law is around the corner that highlights prior traffic violations that can preclude a person from driving a school bus in the state.

The Department of Public Safety began offering the online driver record checks in early August and since then, more than 6,000 records have been requested by school districts across the state.

"We are pleased that we can offer a convenient, secure and fast way for school districts to review the driving records of their school bus drivers," said Rebecca Davio, DPS assistant director for driver licenses. "Being able to get instant feedback will help school districts ensure the safety of the hundreds of thousands of children who ride Texas school buses every day."

Before the new service, school districts had to order employee driving records by mail, and the process could take weeks before they knew whether a particular driver had tickets or had a history of crashes or other violations. Now, school districts can access and instantly print out copies of their drivers' records. The service is provided free of charge to the districts.

Meanwhile, the new law that goes into effect on Sept. 1 prohibits persons who have committed offenses such as vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence, and leaving the scene of an accident from operating a school bus for 10 years after the offense.

HB 3190 also requires school bus operators to wear seat belts if the operator’s seat is equipped with such restraints; prohibits the operation of a school bus if the number of persons inside the bus exceeds the manufacturer’s design capacity for the vehicle or if the bus’ door is open; authorizes a school bus operator to prohibit a passenger from standing or sitting on the floor of a bus or anywhere that is not a seat; requires a school bus evacuation training program and requires a school district to train all of its students and teaching staff in the process of emergency school bus evacuation at least twice a year.