During schools' roundup events prior to the first day of instruction, around 5,000 students who ride buses were each issued a radio frequency identification, or RFID, card with a unique identification number. Those not able to attend the roundup events can pick up a pass at school.
The card is tracked as the student enters and exits the bus. The information stored on the card is secured by the district's Information and Educational Technology Services Department.
For example, if a parent reports that a child got on the wrong bus, the Z Pass will let the district track where the student boarded and got off.
"The driving force behind the launch of the Z Pass system at MCS is to increase student safety for home-to-school transportation and school-related events," Modesto City Schools spokeswoman Linda Mumma Solorio said.
In the spring, an app will be available that will allow parents to track where a student got on the bus and was dropped off. That's a tool for parents to address incidents like their kids saying they went to school when really they went elsewhere. Beyond the pass reader in the bus showing when and where a student gets on and off, the system does not actually track the youth's whereabouts.
What if children forget their Z Passes at home one morning? They still will be allowed to get on the bus to school, the district says.
Modesto City Schools examined programs like the Z Pass for the last two years and consulted with other school districts with similar programs, such as Twin Rivers in McClellan and Clovis Unified.
The Z Pass isn't the only advancement in Modesto City Schools busing. More of the district's fleet is going green for sustainability.
Electric buses continue rolling out, and by fall, they will be used on half of the routes to schools. The electrification started last year and has been an 18-month process. The district expects a total of 30 electric buses but will have 15 to 20 diesel buses as spares — not assigned to routes — for field trips or emergencies.
Every electric bus will be inspected by the California Highway Patrol before it goes into service, the district reported.
To be eligible to ride a bus, a child must live farther than a mile if in transitional kindergarten through sixth grade, greater than two miles for seventh- and eighth-graders and greater than 3 miles for high school.
©2023 The Modesto Bee (Modesto, Calif.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
