Middletown busing project gets underway

MIDDLETOWN – A plan to track the whereabouts of Middletown elementary school children that drew fierce criticism from civil liberty advocates got underway earlier this month.

Edward Collins, director of facilities for Middletown schools, said the program, which uses radio frequency identification tags (RFID) and global positioning software to track students to and from school, is up and running after a more than two-month roll-out process. In all, approximately 120 RFID tags were handed out to Aquidneck Elementary School children in grades 1 to 3 beginning March 11.

First announced in January, the first-of-its-kind pilot program became a focal point of media attention in the wake of a December snowstorm that left dozens of Providence school children stranded on buses for almost 12 hours. In January, Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, fired off a letter to the school department, chiding its decision to implement the plan.

"Encouraging the placement of RFIDs on young children, even in this limited and questionable context, can only have the unintended effect of acclimating them to being monitored by the government in other contexts and wherever they go, as if it were perfectly normal and appropriate," he wrote.

According to Mr. Collins, however, the plan has had a favorable reception by Aquidneck Elementary parents, with roughly 80 to 90 percent of students participating in the program. "We've had great participation," he said. "And I haven't had one complaint."

Bugs to work out

Like any new program, there have been adjustments that have had to be made. "Technology-wise there have been some glitches," Mr. Collins said. "It's still a work in progress."

The project is being run by MAP Information Technologies Inc., also of Middletown. Chris Collins, CEO of MAP, is the brother of the aforementioned Edward Collins. Their relationship has also been the subject of criticism by opponents.

Although the Middletown School Department is the company's only client, Mr. Collins said his company has received inquiries from both in-state and out-of-state school departments including schools from Washington state, Georgia and the Providence School Department.

Since the program began, MAP Information has been tracking speed, total number of stops, and the time taken for each bus to complete its route. According to Mr. Collins, coverage on the east side of Aquidneck Island has been spotty, but the program is otherwise operating well within functioning standards.

"We've taken a very systematic approach," he said.

Over the next several weeks, MAP Information and school officials will be collecting and analyzing data to determine the functionality of the program. Once enough data is collected, Mr. Collins said officials can set up an alert system to notify school officials of instances such as if a bus is delayed.

Middletown was a natural fit for the pilot program, according to MAP Information's Mr. Collins. The software is being integrated into a pre-existing alert system the school department uses to notify parents of school delays and closings. Once the alert system is tested, officials plan on moving into the final phase of the project, which is to hold focus groups for parents to gather both positive and negative feedback.

Arguments abound

Arguments both for and against the tracking program range from safety to savings.

Proponents argue that monitoring children on buses will ensure that children get off at the correct stop and are not left on the bus. From a cost savings point of view, school officials assert that monitoring the number of students on buses could help determine the appropriate level of buses needed for any given day and potentially result in more efficient busing practices.

Opponents offer a different interpretation.

"If school officials can find schoolchildren, others might also be able to find them and target them for improper purposes," according to the ACLU.

MAP Information dismisses those concerns as unfounded. "It's a secure system," said Mr. Collins, adding that it's not out of the ordinary. Hospitals also use RFID technology to monitor pediatric patients when their parents are not in attendance, he noted.

Until the program is fully implemented and parents have the opportunity to weigh in, school officials believe that if the program's participation level is any indication, they're on the right track.

"What really matters, after all, is the parents," Edward Collins said.

By Tom Shevlin

news@newportthisweek.net

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