BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"I really appreciate the fact that I can call up here at any time and they'll be able to tell me exactly where my student's bus is, what bus they badged on, if they got on the wrong bus by accident," said Midway ISD bus driver and parent Candice Ottley.
Last year was a trial run, but this year, Midway ISD is fully implementing its security system for its school bus riders — Smart Tags.
Each bus rider in the district receives a badge to scan on and off of the bus during the first week of school.
"It's an easier way for us to track the students and make sure the right students are on the right bus," said Midway ISD director of operations Ken Wolf.
The tags help to manage students, prevent bus riders from getting on the wrong bus and track drop off times.
"It's easier to find the students in an emergency situation," Wolf said.
Midway ISD says it has 54 routes and an average of 40 to 50 students on each bus — they drive around 2,600 students every day.
Candice Ottley says the smart tags were helpful last year.
"It makes things so much easier, my mom is the one that gets my kids off the bus, and she knows that if something goes wrong she can just call up here," Ottley said.
Ottley is a bus driver in the district who tells me students benefit from the tags, too.
"It lets them know that they are safe within our buses," Ottley said.
Midway ISD says the system holds both students and drivers more accountable.
They are planning to open the system's parent portal in the fall semester during the second six weeks.
"And what that'll do is that will allow the parents to look in real time where their students are on the bus, if the bus is running late they can give them an alert," Wolf said.
