The District is excited to announce a new addition to student safety with the implementation of the SMART tag™ I.D. system. Students in your child’s school will begin using this system on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, with the initial use to scan bus riders boarding or exiting a bus. SMART tag™ uses safe passive technology which enables your child’s I.D. card to be programmed with a unique student number. This number can only be read by the SMART tag™ tablet installed on each CISD school bus and the I.D. number is the only digital information in the card. The goal is to have the SMART tag™ system fully implemented throughout the District by May 2023.

Upon full implementation, parents/guardians will have the ability to sign up to receive text notifications of when their child’s bus will arrive for pick up in the morning and drop off in the afternoon. When a student boards or exits the bus, the student will touch their SMART tag™ I.D. card on the SMART tag™ tablet (RFID reader) at the top of the stairs. This will allow the bus driver to determine if the student is on the right bus, as well as confirm that the student is getting off at the correct bus stop. The GPS capability is in the SMART tag™ tablet on the bus not the SMART tag™ I.D. card. All students will receive SMART tag™ I.D. cards and a lanyard in the coming days. The success of the program in large part depends on students having their SMART tag™ I.D. card with them when they get on and off the bus. We ask for your help in this regard. The District is excited about offering its families this new service to increase safety, and we ask for your patience as we implement this new program. In the near future, your child’s SMART tag™ I.D. will also be used for cafeteria purchases and library book check-out.

For more information on the program including how the passive technology works, please visit the District’s SMART tag™ website. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact the Conroe ISD Transportation Department’s Conroe Center at 936-709-5975 or visit our transportation website.

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