With the number of students at LCM High School that ride buses to and from school every day, it is important to know about any significant changes that might be made. Currently, LCM Transportation is planning to introduce SMART tags onto buses to protect students and help keep parents informed.
SMART tags are specialized RFID cards that will be issued to every student and used when getting on and off the bus. They will be used to validate that the student is loading the correct bus, and that data will then be sent to the transportation department and the new SMART tag parent app.
“The system is designed to enhance the safety and security of students utilizing school transportation services,” director of transportation Georgia Nichols said. “This system also gives parents peace of mind by granting them visibility of when their student’s bus is approaching, that their student has boarded the bus, and also when their students exit the bus.”
The SMART tag system is being implemented by a company called Secured Mobility, LLC, a privately held technology company based in Georgetown, Texas. They have been developing security software and cloud-hosting infrastructure for over ten years. The company has helped to develop a system for routing and monitoring students to help overcome the challenges school bus drivers face.
“SMART tag was the first company that created a system for this back in 2014,” Nichols said. “They are known for being the most comprehensive, full-featured student ridership solution in the industry and has 10 patents.”
Not only do students need to be informed about these changes, but so do parents. The SMART tag app will provide parents with real-time information and location monitoring for each bus equipped with a tablet. This will help parents know exactly where the bus is and where it is going, which will alleviate many concerns that parents have about students riding buses.
“There will be a Parent App that makes it possible to receive text messages when students are approximately 10-15 minutes from their stops or from being picked up,” Nichols said. “Parents or guardians can also monitor whether their student is on the bus as well as the bus’s real-time location. Users of the Parent App must set up notifications to allow certain features to work at their full potential. This app will be available as soon as the system is fully functional.”
The SMART tags can be used for many more things besides just the buses. They can be used in any location in the school with a barcode scanner. This feature is provided by SMART tag to create a more all-in-one option for the district.
“In lieu of routes, the cards can be utilized for campus use anywhere that there is a barcode scanner,” Nichols said. “This could include the cafeteria, library, nurse visits, and can also double as the student’s ID for campuses that require this. This will be decided by campus administration on how they utilize this option.”
While this system is still not completely set up, it is in development and both the cards and the parent app are expected to be released shortly. When this app is fully released and everyone is set up, parents will be able to see where the buses are going in real time. Primary students can expect to receive their cards during the first week of school, while secondary students can expect to receive them within two weeks.
“Parents or guardians can also monitor whether their student is on the bus as well as the bus’s real-time location,” Nichols said. “Users of the Parent App must set up notifications to allow certain features to work at their full potential. This app will be available as soon as the system is fully functional. The estimation is within a month of this process.”
This new system is coming along with many other changes to LCM Transportation. As well as the new SMART tags, Transportation has received six new diesel buses, and plans to bring in another 10 buses.
“This will give our route drivers brand new buses for our students to and from school daily routes,” Nichols said. “They will be used for any transportation the district supplies. This includes any extracurricular activities, field trips, and emergency evacuations as well if ever needed.”
These new changes are going to impact all bus riders that go to and from LCM High School, both in the morning and the afternoon. It is important that you always have your card ready when getting on the bus. This new system may be confusing at first, but it is necessary to cooperate to make sure you are getting on the right bus and going to the right destination.
