Palos Heights Debuts School Bus Kid Tracking System

Chicago - Parents in southwest suburban Palos Heights can breathe just a little bit easier about putting their kids on the school bus this year.

The school district is issuing electronic reader cards to all the kids who ride school buses. The cards are attached to their backpacks and are scanned by readers on school buses.

"As the child gets on and off the bus, it goes passed this reader system, and as it goes past it will beep and it will turn green. And as they get of the bus and go past it, it will go green and beep," said District 128 Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Casey.

The cards do not identify the kids by name, only by number.

The number goes into a data base and school administrators will instantly know when and where a child gets on and off a school bus.

The system was designed by Zonar Systems of Seattle.