Centennial School Board approves SmartPass Pro for William Tennant High School after extended discussion

The Centennial School District board on April 8 approved purchase of the SmartPass Pro digital hall-pass system for William Tennant High School, a three-year contract the district says will address disruptive hallway behavior, bathroom vandalism and lost instructional time.

The vote followed a lengthy presentation by district administrators and discussion among board members, district security staff and a regional police representative. The board amended the agenda item to specify the Pro plan before voting; the motion passed with a majority vote and recorded abstentions.

Board members were shown district figures the administration said justify the system: administrators reported roughly $27,000 in bathroom-related repairs and roughly 500 labor hours for maintenance and disciplinary time over the past year. The district presented a three-year SmartPass cost of $28,430 (annualized at about $9,477), and the agenda motion set a conservative ceiling of "district cost not to exceed $30,000 for 3 years." Superintendent Dr. Dana Bennett said the district could initially cover the system using dollars freed by a vacant position, and the high school principal told the board the school would take ownership of ongoing costs after the initial period.

Dr. Bennett described SmartPass as "a significant evolution from a traditional paper hall pass to a comprehensive digital accountability system," and outlined core features administrators expect to use: pass creation and approval, real-time movement logging, integration with the Skyward student information system, an administrative analytics dashboard, and emergency lockdown support. Anthony Gabriel, introduced as "assistant communications superintendent for academic assistant service," and Kristen Herman, assistant director of teaching and learning, also took part in an earlier public demonstration and student-panel video that preceded the discussion.

Bucks County Police Chiefs Association member Mr. Burns told the board some regional schools using similar systems reported reductions in vaping and unauthorized student gatherings. "We put in one of those electronic hall pass systems and it seems to have cut down considerably on the vaping issue," Burns said, recounting feedback from Penndel/Perk (Penridge Regional) law enforcement.

Several board members pushed back with operational and budget questions. Concerns raised included whether SmartPass actually addresses the district's larger entrance-control problem after a recent unauthorized-entry incident, whether the system would require additional staff, how students without phones would be accommodated, and whether the system would meaningfully reduce vandalism or vaping. Board members and administrators repeatedly emphasized that SmartPass is not an entry-control system and that work on visitor-entry upgrades and vendor demonstrations remains pending.

Administrators said security staff have been hired to increase bathroom checks but that physical limitations mean some incidents occur out of sight in stalls. They described SmartPass as a supplemental tool to create a time-stamped digital log of student movement that could reveal patterns and support targeted interventions, nurse follow-ups and improved attendance accounting during evacuations.

During the meeting the board amended agenda item 6.9C to specify the SmartPass Pro plan for William Tennant High School. The motion to purchase the Pro plan passed by recorded tally (yes: 7; no: 2; abstain: 1) and was entered into the minutes as approved. The administration said the district would use funds from a four-month vacant position (estimated at about $28,000) to pay the first three years of service while the high school plans how to sustain the program thereafter.

The approved purchase directs the administration to proceed with contracting for the SmartPass Pro plan for William Tennant High School. The board left broader entry-system upgrades and vendor demonstrations for future meetings and asked administration to return with additional cost and funding-sourcing details for any capital or ongoing personnel implications.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: Approve purchase of the SmartPass Pro plan for William Tennant High School; district cost not to exceed $30,000 for 3 years (agenda item 6.9C, amended to specify Pro plan). - Outcome: Approved. Tally: yes 7, no 2, abstain 1. (The transcript shows the board amended the item to specify the Pro tier before the final vote.)

Funding and next steps

Administrators said the first three years can be covered by salary savings from a vacant position (roughly $28,000). The board asked for follow-up information on long-term funding, whether the product will integrate with the district's Raptor visitor-management system, and for demonstration and procurement details for any separate entry-control solution.

The board scheduled no formal vote on an entry-control system at this meeting; members reiterated that vendor presentations related to building entry are pending and will return to the board for decision-making.