State auditors reviewed bus drivers at Cameron County and Austin area school districts and found several deficiencies.

Auditor General Eugene DePasquale revealed 58 school districts across the state were missing driver documentation or had drivers with one or more missing certifications or criminal background checks and 10 drivers who had criminal convictions.

For Cameron County, five drivers were reviewed and two deficiencies were found during an audit that covered July 1, 2008, to June 30, 2010.

Superintendent Dr. Keith Wolfe said the problem from the 2010 audit stemmed from files containing an unofficial copy of the clearance for two of the drivers.  

“This issue was immediately remedied by placing ‘official’ copies of clearances in the files,” he said. “You will see the footnote that states the deficiency was corrected for the subsequent audit. At no time was there a driver who should not be driving our students.”

The Cameron County School District has nine drivers plus some substitutes.

Meanwhile, the Austin Area School District saw seven drivers reviewed and six deficiencies found from an audit covered July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2012. School official Jerry Sasala was not immediately available for comment.

“Problems with bus driver background checks and certifications are found across the board: in urban, suburban and rural school districts,” DePasquale said. “It is imperative that school officials use due diligence in vetting and monitoring all bus drivers to ensure the safety of students.”   

He said that the schools hear the responsibility to make sure drivers have the appropriate qualifications and background clearances to interact with students. School officials also should maintain the driver documentation in school files, DePasquale said.

“I am pleased to report that in most — but not in all cases — where we conducted a subsequent audit, the school districts with bus driver deficiencies have moved to correct problems we identified,” DePasquale said. “That said, I will follow up in future audits to ensure that nothing has fallen through the cracks.

Overall, auditors found 724 deficiencies at districts across Pennsylvania.