Back-to-School: Ohio troopers give us an inside look at school bus inspections

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Back-to-school is in full swing and you may be wondering just how safe your child’s bus is.

Over the last five years, there have been more than 6,200 crashes involving school buses in Ohio, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol.

During that time five people died.

It’s a reminder of how important school bus inspections are.

They are one major component to keep your children safe.

19 Investigates went inside the process with Ohio State Highway Patrol.

As a new school year begins, state troopers inspected school buses across Ohio as required by law.

We were there as they checked school buses at Jackson Local Schools in Stark County.

“Ohio has one of the highest probably construction standards for school buses. They roll underneath the buses and check the brakes and the air lines for leaks. They’re looking for rust, the condition of the frame. It’s absolutely everything,” said Lieutenant Todd Belcher with Licensing and Commercial Standards.

19 Investigates watched an inspector with OSHP go down the list for school bus #23 with over 120 different areas of inspection.

From the mileage to the weather, there are so many factors that can affect each bus’s condition.

To pass, the school bus must have no defects or violations.

Any problems with tires or brakes are considered a major violation.

“If there is a violation that’s noticed, a lot of times the bus garages are able to make those repairs right there the same day that we’re there, but all of them have to be repaired before the bus can transport students to school,” Belcher said.

19 Investigates got a list of school bus inspections in our area for 2025 from state patrol.

It includes 114 local school districts and shows they inspected 3,025 buses total.

We found 142 buses have out of service violations, which is 4.69% of the buses they inspected on this list.

According to the report, Beachwood, Garfield Heights, Sheffield and Stow school districts each had 20 percent or more of their buses listed as having “out of service” violations.

Cleveland Metropolitan School District has the most buses in our area, with about 270 listed.

We found only about 11 percent of them are out of service.

There are 65 school districts on the list with no violations, including Bay Village, Bedford, Brooklyn, Canton, Mayfield and Solon.

This year state troopers are seeing more new school buses than in the past as school districts replace their older buses and catch up on inventory.

There are more than 19,000 school buses in Ohio.

State patrol conducts school bus inspections daily at school districts across the state.

They complete an annual inspection and then inspectors revisit the school about six months later to conduct inspections again.

Once they’ve been inspected, it’s up to drivers on the road to keep kids safe.

“Take that extra time, be extra cautious. You know the bus is probably going to be making stops on the road. Pay attention. Don’t drive distracted,” Belcher said.

Need an investigation? Contact 19 Investigates with your request.