Frisco Independent School District is rolling out a new tech-driven ID system next year.
The district is ramping up safety and efficiency measures by introducing an ID card program for students in six new schools.
Last year, Corbell and Riddle elementary schools were the first to try out the new student ID system. Next, the students of Wortham Intermediate School, Clark Middle School, Cobb Middle School, Nelson Middle School, Independence High School, and Wakeland High School will receive ID cards.
“This will give us multiple perspectives on how to launch the project districtwide, which we plan on doing for the [2024-25] school year,” explained Managing Director of Transportation Jerad Castor, according to Community Impact.
“This is going to be a game changer for our operations,” Castor added.
This technological step forward aims to streamline everyday processes and enhance safety protocols.
Other districts like Dallas ISD and Mesquite ISD have opted for clear backpack policies this upcoming school term, as previously reported in The Dallas Express.
Opinions on whether the clear bag policy will enhance campus safety are mixed among education and security experts, as The Dallas Express reported. Yet education officials have been pressed to reconsider their security protocols in the aftermath of the Uvalde Robb Elementary shooting in which 21 students and teachers were killed.
However, in Frisco ISD, the ID initiative actually precedes the tragedy in Uvalde. It was included in the district’s November 2018 bond approved by voters for $691 million.
While a replacement fee of $5 is currently being considered, students will not be charged for the first ID they are issued.
The student IDs feature the student’s photo, name, grade, and school. It has a barcode that can be used to pay for lunches in school cafeterias and check out books at school libraries.
This aims to boost efficiency by streamlining food purchases and book checkouts.
According to Castor, the district ran a test and found that it would take students at one school 12 minutes to get through the lunch line normally. With the ID cards, this was halved to 6 minutes.
“This is just an easy, very fast way for No.1, the student to access their account and then No.2, for the cafeteria worker to identify that it’s actually that student,” Castor explained, according to Community Impact.
The ID is also scanned as a student enters and exits the bus, providing the ability to track these movements during their daily commute for increased security.
School bus drivers each have a tablet that allows them to check and search for names as needed.
“This is a great way for our drivers to get to know the students’ names and ensure these students are getting on the correct bus,” Castor said, according to Community Impact.
The tablet also functions as a navigation tool, storing bus routes to help drivers safely bring students to and from school.
Castor suggested this system would be advantageous during an emergency, as it provides an accurate way to locate each student.
“In the unfortunate event of an evacuation, time is extremely costly,” Castor explained, according to Community Impact. “We want to make sure that we are very quick and efficient in order to be as safe as possible.”
By the end of the 2023-24 school year, parents will also be able to stay up-to-date about their children’s movements via an app that tracks bus locations in real-time.
According to Castor, principals and parents support the new ID system, which he said “will provide safety layers for our district and our students, staff and community.”