By Trish Svoboda

The Kansas Highway Patrol is working to ensure student safety during their travels to and from school. Each July and August, KHP troopers collaborate with school districts statewide to inspect all school buses, making sure they are in proper working condition.

Troopers will inspect the buses until the start of the school year to ensure they can safely load, transport, and unload students. They will examine lights, emergency exits, tires, windshield wipers, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, and emergency spill kits.

“Our children are our future. We owe it to the family members and their children to make sure these kids arrive to and from their destinations safely,” said Captain Candice Breshears of the Kansas Highway Patrol. “By partnering with these school districts across Kansas, we can ensure that we are taking the proper steps to keep Kansas children safe.”

A decal will be displayed in the lower driver’s side corner of the windshield for any bus or school vehicle passing inspection. Vehicles that do not comply with safety regulations cannot be used to transport students until all defects are corrected and a trooper re-checks the vehicle.

Last year, KHP inspected 10,066 buses as well as other school vehicles for defects.