EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Ninety percent of school buses in Michigan passed safety inspections done by the Michigan State Police, according to the department's report released Wednesday.

Ten safety inspectors completed the 198-point safety inspections on all public and private school bus fleets in the state.

Of the 17,220 school buses inspected during the 2007-08 year, 15,503, or 90 percent, passed. This number is up from the 15,448 buses that passed last year.

This year’s numbers are the highest passing since the MSP began inspecting buses in 1990, said Col. Peter C. Munoz, director of the MSP.

The state’s school buses are inspected on a cycle that begins every Sept. 1st and ends Aug. 31.

Inspectors used red and yellow tags to identify any problem buses.

Yellow-tagged buses will be able to continue to operate as long as problems listed by inspectors are repaired within 60 days.

Red-tagged buses are immediately placed out of service and cannot transport students until they are repaired.

A Certificate of Excellence was presented to 384 school districts whose buses passed the inspection 100 percent.

Fifty-six districts were rated between 95 and 99 percent for their buses.

In metro Detroit, a handful of districts, including the Taylor, New Haven Community and Dearborn Heights Crestwood schools had some of the highest red-tagged percentages, which means more than half of their fleets were put out of service.

“Unfortunately, this report is very misleading and creates concern among our community that is not justified as is evidenced by the green tag in the windshield of all 82 buses currently in our fleet,” wrote Taylor Schools Superintendent Beth Iverson in a statement. “Most of the buses that were red tagged during the inspection were repaired and green tagged before the inspectors left the district.”

Iverson said more of the red tags were the result of missing letters on the buses or clip lighting failing to be illuminated.

"It makes me not want to put my children on the bus," said parent Debbie Vallimont.

“When schools have a high number of red tags, there needs to be change every day that bus goes on the road so that it is safe for those children,” said MSP Sgt. Sharron VanCampen.

The Pupil Transportation Act (P.A. 187 of 1990) requires the MSP to inspect each school bus annually.

To view the report visit the MSP Web Site