Driver Bruce Hall, 70, makes sure students swipe their cards as they exit the bus. Redlands Unified School District introduced a new way for parents to keep track of their children riding buses. As part of their already established ZONAR system, the Z Pass+ module logs when a student walks on to and gets off a bus. Parents can keep track of their children using their mobile devices.
As part of Redlands Unified School District’s already established ZONAR system, the Z Pass+ module logs when a student walks on to and gets off a bus. Parents can keep track of their children using their mobile devices.
REDLANDS >> A new tool allows parents with students enrolled in the Redlands Unified School District to monitor when their child boards and exits the bus in real time.
The Zonar ZPass+ is one of the district’s new measures to enhance student safety following reports of students being left behind on buses in other districts, said Bernie Cavanagh, RUSD’s assistant superintendent of business services.
“We are not being reactive, but proactive,” he said. “We are a little bit ahead of the curve, but even after we had looked into this tool, there have been instances that show other districts are struggling with this.”
The district has been using one component of the Zonar system since 2004.
The system collects multiple data sets, including daily inspections required of bus drivers, said Sam Anderson, transportation manager for the district.
Once inspections are complete, the system automatically sends a message to Anderson’s department. Inspections must be done after each run, he said.
“A cool piece of this module is if the driver did not do that check, it would send an alert to whoever’s desk that driver is assigned to,” Anderson said. “We will then go out and confirm there are no children on board.”
The Zonar ZPass+ gives parents the ability to track data as well.
Parents with smartphones can download the Zonar app at www.zpassplus.com. Once registered, parents can log onto the app and view data collected from their child’s card scanned while entering and exiting the bus.
Parents without smartphones can contact the district’s transportation department at 909-307-5370 for information about their children. The goal is to have information available for all school sites, Cavanagh said.
“Students are our most valuable asset and this is another way that’s fairly unique right now that can help us promote student safety,” he said.
The district notified parents of the ZPass+ in registration packets at the start of the school year. Information also is posted to the district’s website at www.redlands.net under the Transportation Information tab. The site also includes more information on the Zonar system as a whole, as well as inspection requirements.
The district plans to send out additional reminders in the future, Anderson said.