Hays Consolidated Independent School District urged Texas parole officials to deny release to Jerry Hernandez, the cement-truck driver convicted after a 2024 collision that killed a child and an adult.

The March 22, 2024 crash occurred in Bastrop County when Hernandez’s truck crossed the center line and struck a school bus carrying more than 40 prekindergarten students. Five-year-old Ulises Rodriguez Montoya and 33-year-old Ryan Wallace, who was driving another vehicle, were killed. Other students and adults were injured.

Hernandez received an 18-year prison sentence in 2025 and became eligible for parole consideration in April 2026. Eligibility permits the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to review a case; it does not guarantee release.

News reports in April described opposition from Hays CISD and families affected by the crash. The sources reviewed for this article do not establish that the parole board has issued a final release decision.

Families tracking a Texas parole case can use TDCJ’s online inmate search and the state’s victim-notification services for official status updates.

Sources: Associated Press — 2024 crash and charges; MySA — district opposition and parole eligibility.