1. (1) The department shall conduct audits and inspections as needed to enforce state rule and laws related to the safety and operation of a school bus.

2. (2) The department's authorized employees or agents may:

   1. (a) enter, inspect, and examine any lands, buildings, and equipment of a local education entity, a privately operated business contracted with a local education entity, or a privately owned entity operating as an education entity;
   2. (b) inspect and copy any accounts, books, records and documents in order to administer and enforce state rule and law;
   3. (c) examine an education entity's vehicle and driver records required under this rule;
   4. (d) perform random safety inspections on a minimum of 20% of the school buses operated by an education entity;
   5. (e) in cooperation and consultation with the Utah State Board of Education, the Utah Association of Pupil Transportation, and other stakeholders establish an out-of-service threshold, which shall be evaluated every three years starting in January 2024 and published to all education entities;
   6. (f) perform additional record examinations and vehicle safety inspections when an education entity's out-of-service failure rate fails to meet the Department's established out-of-service threshold;
   7. (g) verify that any violations discovered during an audit or inspection are corrected; and
   8. (h) make publicly available the results of audits or inspections.

KEY: school bus, school bus safety inspection, school bus maintenance and auditing

Date of Enactment or Last Substantive Amendment: August 23, 2021

Authorizing, and Implemented or Interpreted Law: 53-8-211