NEW ORLEANS — Michael and Trudi Hardman had always talked about taking their six children to Disney World, and just a week before Thanksgiving, it seemed their “dream trip” was to be a reality.

But just a little more than three hours after they took to the road Wednesday night, their SUV veered off a highway and rolled over in Louisiana, killing them and three of the kids.

Police believe the couple’s 16-year-old son apparently fell asleep behind the wheel of the SUV en route from Terrell, Texas, to Orlando, Fla.

The driver, who was not identified, was charged with reckless operation of a vehicle following the 11 p.m. crash on Interstate 20 near Calhoun, La., state police spokesman Michael Reichardt said.

Michael Hardman’s brother, Timothy Hardman, said the driver and two passengers were injured, one critically.

The teen driver veered left onto the median and then tried to get back onto the highway but overcorrected, causing the 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe to roll over, police said.

Michael and Trudi Hardman were both primary-school teachers from Terrell, Texas. Also killed were sons Dakota Watson, 15, and Adam Hardman, 7; and daughter Kaci Hardman, 4, police said.

None of those killed wore seat belts but the driver did, officials said.

The distance between Terrell and Orlando is about 1,050 miles — a 16-hour drive. The family left their home in Terrell about 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. Wednesday, according to Timothy Hardman, meaning the accident occurred early in the journey.

Michael Hardman was a second-grade teacher at an elementary school in Terrell, said Terrell Independent School District Superintendent Michael French. He had worked in the district for two years.

Hardman also was a Little League baseball coach who coached his sons, one of whom, 12-year-old Aaron Hardman, was in critical condition at a Shreveport hospital, Timothy Hardman said.

“He never turned a kid away,” Timothy Hardman said. “Michael probably had the biggest heart of anybody you ever knew. He just loved kids.”

The driver and the other injured passenger were treated at the hospital and released Thursday morning, Hardman said.

French said a counselor contacted the parents of students in Michael Hardman’s class to let them know about his death, and counselors also are available to support both staff and students.

Trudi Hardman was a kindergarten teacher at Wills Point Primary school and had worked for the Wills Point Independent School District for about 10 years, Supt. Suzanne Blasingame said in an e-mail. Blasingame said Michael Hardman formerly taught at Wills Point Primary.