Where is Your Student?

GPS provides several examples of how school districts can track students, not just buses and vehicle info

Ryan Gray | Senior Editor

Denver Public Schools boasts one of the larger school bus fleets in the nation, but as of yet it has no way to accurately update parents on the whereabouts of their students.

"GPS is relatively new and it's costly, and right now costs are a significant issue here at DPS," said Guy Champlin, executive director of the district's transportation services, which ferries 16,000 students on 471 buses each school day throughout its 55-square mile service area. "But I believe in the technology. We are looking at doing this as most economically as possible."

Champlin said DPS is currently evaluating Everyday Wireless as a potential provider for its district owned and operated buses. The district does not bus high school students, deferring instead to tripper services operated by the local transit authority.

Several recent incidents across the country illustrate the importance of securing the school bus, and especially its passengers. But the technology still scares many with its "Big Brother" stigma.

" No. 1, you've got to look at what your need is," said Phil Mugg, transportation director for Tippecanoe School Corporation in West Lafayette, Ind. The district transports nearly all its students - approximately 95 percent of its enrollment of 11,000 - over a 430-square mile area on 135 buses. While the district uses Synovia's GPS solution, even with the high ridership volume, Mugg said student tracking makes the most sense, in his case, for special needs routes.

"You'll get returns and eliminate management problems," he added on the student tracking option, which Tippecanoe has yet to try, "but when you're starting to track the general population I think at that point you have to make a decision. You have big brother. Is there a need? Then there are logistical issues like kids swapping IDs. How do you handle it administratively? There's a real philosophical decision to make."

But GPS remains a viable option. Spring Valley ISD outside of Houston says its system is more than up to the task of providing state-of-the-art and non-proprietary student tracking capabilities to meet the growing needs of school district accountability.

"It seems like most school districts across the country are in the same boat," said Brian Weisinger, transportation director for Spring ISD outside of Houston. "We don't know exactly who's going to be jumping on the bus, especially at the beginning of school (in the fall)."

Nearby Houston ISD experienced a harrowing incident in March when a distraught man suspected by police to be on drugs flagged down a school bus, climbed on top of the vehicle and eventually gained entrance through the rooftop emergency hatch. The driver escaped and no children were aboard, and police apprehended the suspect a short time later. Bonnie Russell, executive director of Houston ISD's transportation services, said the bus in question was not equipped with GPS.

Still, it was a timely incident, as Spring ISD had recently outfitted 180 of its 240-vehicle school bus fleet with AirClic MP, a GPS-based system that reports the real-time location of all students onboard any district bus and the time and location of their pick-up or drop-off using a passive identification card reader. The district piloted the program toward the end of the 2003-2004 school year and is approaching the completion of its first year using the technology to track all elementary students. Weisinger said the district will employ the same system next school year for all secondary students.

"Whenever a student walks on or off our bus, the school knows where that student is," Weisinger said. "It gives me peace of mind; it gives me some sense of control."

The school district transports more than 19,000 students each school day to more than 25 schools across a 57-square mile area. Weisinger, a parent himself, said he understands and appreciates the fear he hears in the voices of parents who call looking for their child. Usually there is an easy explanation, such as a forgotten after-school activity or un-approved play date at a friend's house. But, with AirClip MP, parents can rest assured that their child's whereabouts are reasonably known at all times, and there is no invasion of privacy.

"We are expert at being able to capture that event and make that data available real time but isn't tied to student records," said Tim Bradley, CEO at AirClic.

The radio frequency identification (RFID) system works by assigning a unique number to each student that the school district can later link to the student's confidential information on an as-needed basis. The RFID is then assigned to the individual's student ID card, which is made at the student's local school, and the number entered into the transportation department's database. Weisinger said neither a scanning light nor bar code transmits the unique student ID, but, instead, an RFID reader installed in the stairwell of each bus picks up the signal and transmits the data using a cell phone. When a successful RFID signal is transmitted the reader chirps and displays a green light; if the pass is unsuccessful a red light emits.

"Before you (issue) the Amber Alert you have to have as much information as you can for the police," said Weisinger. "We have not done that yet and I hope we don't have to, but I have this in my back pocket if I need it."

As with most GPS, AirClip MP is fully customizable, making cost difficult to determine. But Bradley said schools can anticipate spending $25 to $30 per month per bus or configuration for the general, out-of-the-box system. Additional options include proof of delivery, inventory tracking, time management, and routing and scheduling. "If you don't know and you need to know, the ability to have the information is priceless," he added.

The Other Players

The beauty of GPS is it can record virtually anything that happens on or in the school bus.

"We're p ulling in other data like the guy at the airport guides airplanes in and then around the tarmac," said Mike McQuade, director of R&D at Zonar Systems. "School districts have a view of their fleet they've never had before."

Zonar demonstrates the "sky-is-the-limit" potential of GPS with its extendable reporting system. McQuade said the company is developing a fully-electronic daily bus report that integrates the company's original handheld EVIR school bus inspection tool with GPS, driver and student information, and engine diagnostics. Basically the company uses open-interface XML to grab all other desired vehicle and student information.

Recently it began to also utilize the free downloadable application Google Earth, a satellite imagery program that allows the user to view our virtual planet and zoom in on a specific address. Tied to GPS Zonar can record all the stops a bus makes on its route and allow the transportation department to "fly over" the route.

" We like that format because it's very descriptive of geospatial data and it's open (and free-of-charge to users)," he said. "Now that's GPS that everyone can use."

"The one thing I hear from school district after school district, they said that's the most refreshing thing is they can get to the data," he added. "Open infrastructure allows access. It's the start of a trend."

New on the school bus GPS scene is Satellite Security System's GlobalGuard exclusive to Blue Bird's entire product line. The school bus OEM said it was to complete a minimum first order of 2,500 systems installed by the end of March. It would then set out on ensuring all newly manufactured buses would come standard-equipped with the S3 GPS suite, as well as a retrofit of all existing school bus applications nationwide through its dealer network.

"This new partnership with S3 enables us to bring major enhancements to an already proven product and to systematically begin offering the safety and informational aspects of this technology to all our clients," said Jeff Bust, Blue Bird CEO.

GlobalGuard works like most GPS systems as it's customizable and scalable to offer school bus operators full vehicle reporting, including location, number of stops, activation of flashing lights and stop arms, and the exact times the school bus loading doors opened and closed. It also features state-of-the-art student tracking. San Francisco Unified School District and Washington, D.C., Public Schools are the first school bus fleets to use the technology.

Meanwhile, IC Corp announced a pilot program involving parent company International Truck & Engine's AWARE Vehicle Intelligence System in 10 New York school districts. While student tracking can be integrated into AWARE, the pilot program only centers on the bus location and monitoring the vehicle's various operating systems.

"Security is its greatest benefit," said Chuck Tanzer, fleet manager for the participating Saratoga Springs City School District. "By knowing where the bus is, if there is any kind of incident, I know where it is and can better determine how best to support the situation. You know immediately if there has been an accident or hijacking so that help can be dispatched that much quicker. That's even more important since 9/11."