School Buses Pulled Off Road By State Patrol Safety Hazards Uncovered In Harrington Fleet

The Washington State Patrol this week grounded nearly the entire fleet of school buses in Harrington, Wash., after finding cracked brake lines, failed power steering systems, flat tires and other safety hazards.

Eight of the nine buses used to ferry children to and from classes in the Harrington School District failed a surprise inspection, said Cliff Rogers, commercial vehicle enforcement officer for WSP. One of the eight, however, was already in the shop for repairs.

The inspections were conducted Wednesday.

Mechanics quickly repaired four of the buses the same day and borrowed two extra buses from Davenport, Wash., to get schoolchildren back home, said Harrington superintendent Mark Stedman.

“I’m not faulting anybody,” Stedman said. “This turned on the green lights that we need to be more diligent and we will be. We don’t compromise safety of children.”

All the buses back in service are safe, Rogers said. The four still in the shop will be reinspected at a later date.

Harrington, located 45 miles west of Spokane in Lincoln County, educates 162 students. Half of them ride the bus, Stedman said.

Harrington operates six bus routes daily, he said, using 14-18 passenger vehicles. Some routes cover 35 miles.

Using guidelines created by the WSP and the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, inspectors examine every bus twice a year, Rogers said. Officers conduct detailed inspections in the summer and surprise inspections during winter months.

Harrington buses typically pass inspection, Rogers said. But rough roads can cause extensive damage to buses that run long, rural routes.

Officers found worn and flat tires, broken emergency light systems, loose objects inside the buses, cracked brake hoses and power steering systems with no fluid, Rogers said.

“We’ll be doing more inspections during the next two months,” he said. “This is a wake-up call for Harrington and other districts.”