Webster CSD rolls out new ID bus tech

WEBSTER, N.Y. (WROC) — A plan two years in the making is now in action at the Webster Central School District. The new technology aims to not only enhance student and bus driver safety, but also create a more efficient and modernized program for operations.

It is called ‘Zonar’ technology and allows the bus driver to see a studio ID photo on a tablet, as opposed to the previous method, with no pictures, only a name on a print out sheet, along with the student drop off location.

This is done through a scan of a student’s ID badge. No badge, no problem, say district leaders. A driver can manually enter a student ID in as well.

“Overall I think there’s some fear about whether this is required for kids to get on the but we’re not going to allow them to get on the bus if they don’t have their card. No, absolutely, not. Our goal is you get on the bus, as we’ve always done; we’re gonna pick you up, we’re gonna take you to school because that’s our main priority,” says Brian Zimmer, Director of Educational Technology and the Data Privacy Officer of the Webster Central School District.

“Ultimately, what we’re gonna do is that driver can make a decision to say, ‘I’m gonna accept the kid either via them scanning in, or by selecting their name on the screen and then they’re checked into the bus. And the bus driver can do that manual intervention, if they have it,” Zimmer adds.

The district currently uses notes from mom, dad or a guardian for any friend-visits requiring a bus pass. The new system will also help drivers maintain accurate knowledge of who is on their bus.

“So now live time the driver knows that they have an extra person on their bus, so and then when they go to get off, they pick the stop where that student’s supposed to go – and when they go to get off it also shows, okay instead of having the normal 6, now we have 7 because of the additional rider at that time,” says Zimmer.

The Zonar/Transfinder system also allows for real-time GPS tracking with a goal of making the transport of students safer and more efficient for drivers. Director of Transportation for the District, Renee Reagan, tells News8 there are approximately 107 permanent routes, with about 8,000 students districtwide.

“With the tablets and the WayFinder app, it’s voice-activated, you’re not reading as you’re going down the road. just a much safer situation. and unfortunately when you’re a driver that doesn’t know the route, you do have to look at the route sheet to know where you’re going,” Reagan says, adding there are approximately 15 sub-drivers at the moment and the district is always in need of more.

Noting student safety is key, so too is cyber safety, says Zimmer. He highlights the safeguards in place to ensure student privacy is secure, stating the district is continuously monitoring for compliance.

“All school districts in NYS have to follow NYS education law part 121, 2d. which focuses on where data’s stored, how data’s stored and how we can retrieve it if there’s ever an issue. We’ve gone through that entire vetting process in conjunction with Monroe BOCES. What that does is that puts the vendor on – and gives them specific parameters on what they have to do in order to keep our data safe,” says Zimmer.

Cost-wise, the system upgrade is in the $300,000 range, according to the Educational Technology Director. It is outfitting 150 school buses — 120 tablets, with the new technology being phased in over the past year+ school budget.

“What that also does is that is a 3-year subscription — so that’s a cost over three years — which one of the nice things, if a tablet breaks, we sent it back to the company, they give us a new one,” Zimmer says.

“That also includes our routing software where our routing team says, okay we’re gonna go in this specific order to pick up kids, so it’s an all-encompassing package,” he adds.

The Zonar technology is now being used by secondary students in the middle and high schools. Elementary school and private school students will be introduced to the system, with a great focus on patience and routine repetition alongside classroom teachers, on October 15th.

Additional information about the new system and how it works can be found in this video presentation from the Webster Central School District:

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