San Antonio NISD Schools Tracking Kids Today, With RFID Pilot Program, Video!

Northside ISD is harnessing the power of radio frequency identification technology (RFID) to make schools safer, know where our students are while at school, increase revenues, and provide a general purpose “smart” ID card.

Parents entrust us with their children and expect that we always know where their children are; this technology will help us do that.

THE PILOT

The Student Locator Project is currently being piloted at two schools. They are Jay High School and Jones Middle School, two of 112 schools in Northside ISD. The pilot will last one year after which time the data will be evaluated and decisions made about further implementation in future years.  

Jay and Jones have a combined enrollment of 4,200 students (out of a projected 100,000 students in NISD). The pilot is small relative to the size of the school district. The “smart” ID cards only work within the school.

THREE GOALS

1. Increase student safety and security. Our students’ parents expect that we always know where their children are in our schools.

2. Increase attendance. Through more efficient attendance management, schools can generate additional revenues by identifying students who are not in their seats during roll call but who are in the school and locate them. (Increased attendance = increased state revenues)

3. Provide multi-purpose “Smart” Student ID card. The Student ID will provide access to the library and cafeteria, serve as a photo ID, and allow for the purchase of tickets to schools’ extracurricular activities. Other uses will be rolled out during the pilot program.