Alachua County public schools now require students to scan their student ID before boarding a school bus.
The IDs, which K-12 students have been using since the beginning of the school year to purchase lunch and check out books, were issued as an added safety feature during replacement of the district’s bus routing system.
Each card contains a student-specific bar code that is recorded into the new GPS tracking system after it is swiped. Officials will then be able to identify when and where a student was transported on a bus.
The new system will cost the district $83,000 this year and an additional $112,000 over the next four years. The ID cards amount to an additional $10,000.
James Speer, director of transportation for Alachua County Public Schools, said the new system should reduce the stress of district bus drivers, who will no longer feel the need to keep track of students’ names and whereabouts.
Alachua County school bus driver Troyanna Hamm said the first day of swiping went well for even the youngest of students at J.J. Finley Elementary School. But she said many of them were scared to approach the machine, and big stops took some time.
“It should get better,” Hamm said, addressing fears that the card swiping might slow down students’ commute to and from school.
Cards were activated for transportation purposes Sept. 8.
Eventually, Speer expects the new system to have “a minimal impact in terms of those routes getting on their way as usual.”
Jackie Johnson, spokesperson for Alachua County public schools, stressed that students will not be denied bus access if they forget, or lose, their card.
High school students have used their IDs in the past to access sporting events for a discounted price.
Shayna Gearhart, a first-grade teacher at Finley Elementary, said she hopes carrying the new ID cards will also help teach students a sense of responsibility.
The school board has asked parents to anticipate temporary delays in bus pickups and drop-offs this week as students become more familiar with the system and routes are adjusted to accommodate those who are new or have changed schools.