§16-27-3. Safety inspections by state school bus inspectors; reporting and remedying deficiencies; records and reports.

(a) Safety inspections provided for in the rules hereinabove mentioned shall be made by authorized, qualified State Department of Education employees and shall be made at least once each year and more often when, in the judgment of the State Superintendent of Education, such inspections should be made. The state Director of Public Safety shall advise and consult with the State Department of Education relative to the type and manner of inspections to be made and the scheduling thereof. When a safety check by a state school bus inspector indicates that a bus does not meet the safety standards set up by the State Board of Education, the inspector shall immediately report this fact to the local board of education using such bus. The report shall define the deficiency and prescribe the immediate status of the bus regarding its use; and any bus found by the inspector to be unsafe for operation shall not be used to transport pupils until appropriate repairs have been made. Any restrictions placed on a school bus by an official inspector can be lifted only:

(1) When a follow-up inspection reveals that the deficiency has been removed; or

(2) When the local superintendent of education certifies to the State Department of Education that the prescribed repairs or corrections have been made.

(b) Records and reports relative to such inspections and corrections shall be made on forms prescribed by the State Board of Education. Such records and reports shall be maintained on file by the local board of education for a minimum period of one year.

(Acts 1969, No. 281, p. 614, §2; Acts 1971, No. 970, p. 1727.)