Coweta schools preview bus‑tracking app to show parents when students scan on and off

The Coweta County School System presented a new bus‑tracking and routing platform at the Feb. 10 school board meeting designed to give parents and staff real‑time information about bus whereabouts and student scan data.

Transportation Director Fayd R. Simmons told the board the system — described as Easy Routing integrated with a “Where’s the Bus” feature — is intended to reduce anxiety and improve safety by providing fast, verifiable information about when students board and exit buses. “Safety, safety, safety is our top priority,” Simmons said, outlining functionality that records student scan‑on and scan‑off events and provides a school view for staff.

Simmons said students will scan using a QR code the district provides or by entering their student ID number. “One of the key parts to which I know a lot of parents have concerns … this is gonna give us more of an opportunity to start analyzing our data, look at those hot spots, and then also figuring out a system and put it into place,” Simmons said. He added the platform will allow staff to see when a student scanned on and off and will enable the district to quickly share data with emergency responders if needed.

Routing assistant Madeline Gossett demonstrated how the system supports routing accuracy and driver coordination. “It is very essential to have accurate information in the system for student safety and for other drivers to know where they're going at all times,” she said, describing monthly driver meetings and the importance of accurate data for safety and routing.

Bus driver Heather Steele described her role and how she helps with routing during downtime between runs. The platform will allow middle and high school students to enter IDs if they prefer rather than using QR codes, and the parent app will notify parents when a bus is within a mile radius and show when a child scans on or off.

Board members praised the transportation staff and were invited to tour the transportation facility. Staff said the system will be used for field trips and every time a student boards a bus going forward; the district emphasized the security element that parents will need to verify their identities when accessing certain information.

Implementation details provided in the presentation included use of QR codes or student ID numbers for scanning, a parent‑facing notification radius of approximately one mile, school‑level staff views, and a plan to analyze scan data to address punctuality and routing issues. No rollout timeline or start date was specified in the presentation.