Wisconsin school district tracks students on buses with GPS

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HORTONVILLE, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin school district is testing a system that uses GPS on buses to track students, which officials say will help improve safety.

Two buses used by the Hortonville Area School District have been keeping data for the past two months on when students get on and off, Wisconsin Public Radio reported.

The buses have UniteGPS system tablets, which accept swipes from about 130 student-identification cards. The information is sent to a website that school officials can access in real time.

“Our parents appreciate the reasonable precautions we take to make sure that we not only provide a secure environment, but that we know exactly what’s going on in terms of their child’s safety,” said Scott Colantonio, technology director at the Hortonville district.

The test program aims to allow the district to more easily track students who may get on the wrong bus or miss a transfer, which can leave parents worrying about where their kids are, said Harry Steenbock, the district’s transportation director. Concerns arise almost every day, but happen more frequently when a substitute driver is on a route.

“Nine times out of 10, they’re on the wrong bus and there was a substitute driver on that route,” Steenbock said.

District procedures call on office staff to alert transportation staff about a missing or lost child. Bus drivers are then alerted to the situation and called on to walk through their buses to try to find the child.

The pilot program “allows our offices to be more effective in terms of being able to get that information in a more timely manner,” Colantonio said.

The school board recently voted to acquire 10 more tablets and issue additional ID cards.

The pilot program cost about $100,000 to start. An additional $40,000 each year will be needed if the program continues. The district’s fleet carries about 3,400 students.