SOMERSET – Somerset ISD is launching a new program this fall that’s aimed at keeping students safe.
The technology allows parents to know where their child is at all times.
“Sometimes parents work outside (the) Somerset area, so they are able to track, ‘okay my child has arrived on the campus,’ so they have peace of mind that they’ve made it to the campus,” said Elizabeth Hernandez, the transportation supervisor for Somerset ISD.
Hernandez says students will scan an ID card as they get on and off the bus.
Drivers will use a tablet to see how many students have boarded the bus.
“It provides a photo of the student so there is no problem where someone else swiped an incorrect card or somebody else’s card. They are able to make that connection: ‘This is the correct person. This is the person I am going to drop off at this address,’” Hernandez said.
Through an app called Unite GPS, parents can see where their child is.
Back at the district’s transportation facility, school officials will be tracking the buses. A monitor shows where they are at all times.
A district spokesperson said they used about $200,000 from their stimulus funds for this program.
The new system will also monitor other things like fueling, mileage and reports.
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