Woodstock CUSD 200 reviews bus-tracking upgrades and plans for bus associates on select routes

District transportation staff told the Woodstock CUSD 200 Board of Education that the district has upgraded its bus-tracking and parent-communication systems and is working to assign bus associates to routes based on student needs.

At the start of the presentation staff said there is a short video summarizing "some of the updates that have happened" to the transportation system and compared the districts GPS and tracking features to consumer phone-location tools. Staff said the WriteNow communications now route directly through the app; the district has spent recent weeks encouraging parents to download the app and enable notifications to reduce missed pickups and increase real-time communications.

On parent feedback, the presenter said the district has received "a lot of good feedback" and "much less complaints" since the system changes, though staff acknowledged it is not perfect and some parents are reluctant to download apps or enable notifications.

A board member asked whether there is a bus monitor on every bus. The presenter said the district is "about to put a lot of our associates on the buses depending on IEPs," and that the priority is routes with kindergarten students and those with individualized education program (IEP) needs. The presenter said placing an associate on every bus would be the goal but that actual coverage depends on the number of people who apply and staffing priorities.

The presenter also noted operational improvements observed at Creekside (dismissal procedures and parking-lot repairs) and credited those site changes with smoothing student dismissals.

The discussion did not include a formal board direction or a vote on new transportation staffing; the transcript records a question from a board member and responses from staff about priorities and constraints.