"ZPass" cards will help Haverhill track students on school buses
HAVERHILL – Haverhill Public Schools are using a new way to keep track of students on the bus.
The school district is giving out ID cards for kids to scan while getting on and off the bus each day.
It's called a ZPass and it's part of a system that tracks which students are on buses, as well as the locations of the buses. Students are not tracked when they are not on the bus. The data is kept in the city's transportation office and can only be viewed by district leadership.
Kristin Eldridge and Josh Anderson sent their daughter Charleigh off for her first day of kindergarten on Tuesday and she knew exactly how to use her card.
Eldridge said she thought the cards were "an excellent idea" and Anderson said it gives him peace of mind.
"Definitely with me, as it being her first full day of school and being sure she gets off at the right stop and knowing that she's on the bus and not left behind somewhere," Anderson said.
The cards cost $5 each and have been given out to nearly 6,000 daily bus riders. Haverhill school officials said kids will still be allowed on the bus even if they forget their ZPass. Students who lose their cards can get a new one.
According to information on the district's website, "the system is secure and only approved district staff can view the data."
Superintendent Margaret Marotta said if a student goes missing after school, the school can use the information to help the search. "This way, we can say got off at the corner of, you know, South Main and Heritage, and a parent can say, 'That's their best friend's house;' 'That's their grandmother's house.'"
The pass uses radio frequency to record the location of the bus. It has the capability to allow parents to track their student's bus ride in real time, but the district says it's not ready to roll that out yet.