Forty-two of the 44 school buses that Macon County's six districts presented to the Missouri State Highway Patrol this year passed on first inspection, Patrol records show, a rate better than the statewide figure.
That works out to 95.5%. Statewide, 10,239 of 11,371 buses inspected, about 90%, were approved on first inspection, while 849 were rated defective and 283 were placed out of service, the Patrol reported in June.
No Macon County bus was placed out of service in 2026.
Atlanta C-3 and Bevier C-4 each presented five buses, Callao C-8 presented two, and Macon County R-IV presented five. All of them passed. The Macon County R-I School District, the county's largest fleet, had 19 of 20 buses approved and one rated defective. La Plata R-II had six of seven approved and one rated defective. The Patrol requires repairs on a defective bus within 10 days. A bus placed out of service must be repaired and inspected again by the Patrol before it can carry students.
Several districts improved on 2025. That year, one of Bevier's five buses and one of Callao's two were rated defective, and one of La Plata's seven was placed out of service, according to the Patrol's 2025 results. Macon R-1, Macon County R-IV, and Atlanta C-3 each had every bus approved in 2025.
School Bus Safety Week began Monday, and the Patrol is urging drivers to stop for buses that are loading or unloading children. State law requires drivers meeting or following a stopped school bus on a two-lane road to stop, the Patrol said. On a four-lane highway, only drivers traveling in the same direction as the bus must stop.
A state law that took effect Aug. 28 raised the penalty for failing to stop for a school bus that is loading or unloading students. A first offense now carries a fine of $500 to $1,000, five points on the driver's record, and a possible license suspension, according to the Missouri Department of Revenue and the Missouri Department of Transportation.
The Patrol also urged students to stay at least 10 feet in front of the bus when they cross the street and to learn where the bus's emergency exits are.