Allen ISD officials plan to report back to the state an estimated cost for complying with a new law that requires school buses to be equipped with three-point seatbelts.

The overview: Senate Bill 546 was passed by the Texas Legislature in 2025 and requires that all school buses operated by the school district must be equipped with seatbelts for every passenger. The deadline for full compliance with the law is Sept. 1, 2029, but the state is requesting estimated costs from districts by the end of the current school year.

It would cost $20.79 million to replace all buses that currently don’t have three-point seatbelts, said Clint Cypert, executive director of support services. It would cost nearly $3.46 million to retrofit buses that don’t have three-point seatbelts.

What's next: District officials are planning to report estimated costs in order to be eligible for any state grant funding.

“We want to make sure that we can access those state funds if that’s at all possible,” said Kyle Penn, assistant superintendent of business and technology.

Several businesses opened or are opening soon in Allen. Keep reading for the latest business and restaurant updates from Community Impact. This list is not comprehensive.

1. The Melting Pot to bring fondue dining experience to Allen: The Melting Pot is opening soon in Allen, according to signage at the location. The Florida-based company, which was founded in 1975, offers a variety of fondue cooking styles. The company has over 90 locations in North America, including six in Texas, according to its website.

• Northeast corner of Watters Creek Boulevard and Simone Lane, Allen

• 2025 W. McDermott Drive, Allen

CAFFE:iN held a grand opening event in Plano in late January, according to a social media post from the business.

The specifics: The new halal-friendly cafe serves a variety of flavored teas, milk teas, boba teas, smoothies, coffee drinks and other beverages. CAFFE:iN’s food menu features honey toast dishes, crepes, chicken wings, spring rolls, shrimp tempura and more.

One more thing: The business is also a “late-night cafe,” according to its website. CAFFE:iN is open from 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. from Sunday-through Thursday, and 11:30-midnight on Friday and Saturday.

Several races were held during the March 3 election, including positions at the county, state and federal level. Meanwhile, developments across the metroplex are taking shape. 

New 40,626-square-foot retail, shopping center coming to west Plano

ROUNDUP: See updated election results for Texas House, Senate races in Collin County

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