Saratoga Springs School District to Implement Bus ID Cards for Students

It's like a keyfob bus pass that tracks your kids on the school bus.

I can't decide if it is sad to me that we have come to the point that we have to track our kids with GPS bus passes on the school bus or if it's sad that parents and school staff can't make sure that kids get on and off the bus. However, seeing as though I am not a parent, teacher, student, bus driver, or school staff my opinion is pretty much mute.

This week it was announced that the Saratoga Springs City School District will begin implementing a new student ID card bus pass system. Beginning as early as the end of the month students in the district that ride the bus to school will be issued new ID cards with their name and picture on it that will also double as a sort of keyfob and GPS for your child while on the bus. According to News10 kids will need to swipe or tap the ID cards when boarding and deboarding the bus then

A GPS tablet maps routes for bus drivers, while ID scanners give real-time information to school officials and parents.

I didn't realize that students getting on and off the bus was becoming such and issue that  a sytem like this would become a necessity. That is until I read that the company, Tyler Drive, that makes this new bus pass/ID card/Keyfob technology actually has a branch in Latham and some of their employees happen to be parents in the district.

What do you think about the implementation of the new technology? Is it staying a step ahead with school safety or an unnecessary expense?