Bus drivers throughout Missouri are working at school districts that never ran criminal background checks on them, State Auditor Susan Montee found in a review released Wednesday morning.

The St. Joseph Democrat is calling on the Legislature to enact laws that would enhance bus driver screenings.

“Improvements are needed in school district oversight of school bus transportation,” Ms. Montee wrote in the audit, which scrutinized 30 districts. The St. Joseph School District was not among the 30 in the audit.

She found that districts didn’t always:

conduct fingerprint-based criminal record checks on bus drivers.

complete federally required drug tests.

or meet training requirements.

The audit showed that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education offers little oversight of bus driver screenings and that contractors often aren’t in compliance, as well.

“You’ll find those statistics in (districts) more when it’s school-owned equipment versus contractors,” said Linda Bishop, manager of First Student, formerly known as Laidlaw Transit. “This saddens me.”

She said contractors find themselves more subject to Missouri Department of Transportation standards than school districts do.

First Student employs 80 to 85 bus drivers in St. Joseph and the district itself employs 19 drivers.

“I think parents can feel their children are in good hands when they get on the bus,” St. Joseph School District spokesman Steve Huff said.

At First Student, drivers must undergo 40 hours of training, yield to a national criminal background check and fingerprint based check, a motor vehicle/driver’s record check, a physical exam and pre-employment drug screening. They also must yield to random drug testing. Anyone with a felony is rejected from employment.

The company turns away about 30 percent of its job applicants because of screening results, Ms. Bishop said.

Similarly, district drivers must yield to the fingerprint check, a criminal background check, a physical and a random drug test once a year, Mr. Huff said. District drivers must go through eight hours of training and then more training through First Student.

Rep. Martin Rucker, D-St. Joseph, worked earlier this year for the state to bypass criminal background checks for district employees who had limited contact with children, such as janitors.

But there’s been no effort in St. Joseph to scale back on bus driver checks, Mr. Rucker said Wednesday.

“The danger is you’ve got people around kids that basically shouldn’t be,” he said. “... In smaller districts, I’m not saying it’s right, but school districts are strapped and they can look for ways to cut corners.”

Mr. Rucker also is a member of the board for the St. Joseph School District.

Ms. Montee said some districts were aware of their non-compliance, but cited funding issues. Mr. Huff said each fingerprint-based background check costs the district $52.20.

To see the complete audit, go to auditor.mo.gov.

Alyson E. Raletz can be reached

at alysonraletz@npgco.com.