Students safe after Marana Unified school bus gets stuck in flood waters

Families in the Picture Rocks area can expect delays and detours after a Marana Unified School District bus became trapped in floodwater Tuesday morning while carrying students to school. West Manville Road is closed at North Reservation Road as the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and other emergency crews work to clear the bus and make the area safe. Deputies are asking drivers to stay away from the intersection and use alternate routes. The closure affects anyone traveling through the rural northwest Tucson area, including school families, commuters and residents who rely on Manville Road to reach nearby roads and neighborhoods.

Marana Unified said bus route 567 entered a wash containing standing water on its way to school. The district said 19 students were aboard the bus and that all of them were safely transferred to another bus with help from first responders. District administrators were at the scene and assisting students and families after the evacuation. The district said it would provide additional information after details were confirmed, but emphasized that the students were safe.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department described the location as West Manville Road and North Reservation Road, where deputies responded to a school bus stuck in a flooded area. The roadway remained closed while crews worked to remove the bus. The closure is a safety measure as officials deal with the vehicle and the water conditions, and drivers were specifically advised not to attempt to pass through the area. The incident underscores how quickly a normally passable wash or roadway can become hazardous during rain, particularly in areas where water can collect or move across the road.

The bus driver contacted MUSD transportation after the bus encountered the water, according to the district’s account. First responders then helped move the students to a second bus. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department responded alongside crews from the Picture Rocks Fire District, according to an account of a similar school bus water rescue involving Marana Unified students. In the current incident, the available information identifies the sheriff’s department as responding and says that first responders assisted with the transfer. No injuries were reported, and the district said administrators were working to make sure students were cared for.

The students’ safe removal depended on the decision to stop and seek assistance rather than continue through the flooded section. The district has credited its transportation staff and drivers with following safety procedures in water emergencies. Once the students were moved to the second bus, they could continue receiving support from school officials instead of remaining aboard a vehicle that had become stuck. Families were also being assisted as administrators coordinated the response at the scene.

Some details in other reporting about Marana Unified bus incidents do not match the information released for Tuesday’s event. One earlier report described 27 students from Picture Rocks Elementary being rescued after a bus became trapped in flowing water near a bus stop around Ina and Sandario roads. That account said the bus began leaning in the current, the driver called for help, and a nearby second bus assisted with the evacuation. Those students were taken to Marana High School, where their parents picked them up. The report also credited the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and Picture Rocks Fire District with conducting the rescue.

The earlier account also described the driver promptly contacting MUSD transportation, which then called law enforcement. That response sequence is consistent with the district’s emphasis on rapid communication and safety protocols, although the current incident was reported at West Manville Road and North Reservation Road and involved a different student count. The current district statement identifies 19 students on route 567, while the earlier report identified 27 students. Because the locations and details differ, the two accounts should not be treated as the same event without further confirmation from Marana Unified or emergency officials.

For Tucson area residents, the immediate priority is avoiding West Manville Road at North Reservation Road until the sheriff’s department announces that the closure has ended. Parents of students affected by route 567 can look to Marana Unified for confirmed updates, while emergency crews continue clearing the roadway. The district has not reported injuries, and all students from the current incident were safely moved to another bus. Officials have not provided a final timetable for reopening the road or additional information about the bus, the water depth or the condition of the wash.