KILLEEN, Texas (KXXV) — Killeen ISD will roll out its free Smart Tag bus tracking system for the upcoming school year, giving parents real-time updates when their children get on and off school buses.
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Students riding Killeen ISD buses will scan their ID each time they board or exit a bus. Transportation staff can use the system to confirm students are riding the correct bus and getting off at the right stop.
Karen Rudolph with Killeen ISD said the technology also gives parents access to real-time updates through the Smart Tag parent app. Families can receive notifications when the bus is approaching, when their child gets on the bus, and when they arrive at their stop.
"It's like an air tag, except it's not tracking with the ID at all times. It's only scanning them into the bus, scanning them off of the bus," Rudolph said.
Rudolph said the scale of the district makes a tool like this especially valuable.
"We serve about 12-thousand bus riders every day across almost 400 square miles of Killeen, Nolanville, Harker Heights and Fort Hood. So it's really important that we have a tool like this to give parents peace of mind and transparency," Rudolph said.
Student ID badges do not continuously track students and do not store personal information. The badges only activate when students scan them getting on or off a bus.
Families can sign up for the Smart Tag system at any point during the school year and are not required to use it. Click here to register for the Smart Tag parent app.
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