MANATEE -- At least 12 Virgil Mills Elementary School students were evaluated for minor injuries after a school bus crash Monday morning.

It was the 12th accident involving Manatee school buses since the start of the school year two months ago.

According to Manatee County EMS, the injuries were minor and the students were treated as a precaution. Two students who bumped their heads were transported to a hospital to be observed while the others were evaluated at the scene.

Between 12 and 15 students were evaluated.

The crash happened at 8:30 a.m. at 69th Street East and 76th Avenue near Ellenton.

The bus was three or four blocks from Mills Elementary at the time of the crash, when a car pulled out in front of it, said Mike Rio, who has been principal of Mills Elementary for nine years.

"All the students were wearing seat belts," Rio said. "Some of the children said they had bumped their heads or their stomachs hurt, possibly from the seat belt. I believe there were no serious injuries."

Rio had his staff call all parents of all the students who were in the crash.

Palmetto's James Taylor, who was working at Bradenton's Rayco Electric at the time, drove to the school to check out his daughter, Jamee, 10.

When he got to the school he discovered that his wife had already picked her up.

"You do get scared when you get a call like that," Taylor said.

Taylor also said he was aware of the number of school bus accidents there have been of late. Bus drivers have been at fault in five cases this year. Although it appears that Monday's accident was not the bus driver's fault, the crash is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.

Twenty-three accidents were reported in all of 2011-12, and five bus drivers were charged. In 2010-11, two school employees were cited in 22 accidents.

"They need to do something," Taylor said of the school district.

Bay News 9 contributed to this story.