North Putnam to roll out bus GPS program

BAINBRIDGE — North Putnam schools will start testing a new GPS program on its buses beginning this spring.

Each bus will be equipped with a tablet that will be connected to the corporation’s transportation department and will track bus movements along routes as well as take student attendance.

Terry Tippin, director of operations at North Putnam, presented the new bus tracking software to the school board at its monthly meeting in February. Some of the features highlighted during the presentation include a tablet equipped with GPS software to track buses along routes, a picture of each student with the ability to take rider attendance and a smartphone app that will allow parents to see when their children will be home as well as real-time delays, should any arise.

This new software was funded by the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) program, a secondary Covid relief package for schools from the American Rescue Plan Act.

In addition to educational purposes, ESSER funds can be used for anything pertaining to safety and the maintenance of school operations during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, with the GPS software falling into the latter category.

A “soft roll-out” to families can be expected in the spring to a select few participants with full implementation anticipated this fall.

In other news, North Putnam will begin advertising for lighting upgrades to the football field.