Iredell-Statesville (N.C.) School District joins more than a dozen other North Carolina school districts by onboarding CalAmp's suite of school bus tracking, contact tracing, and fleet management solutions.

The school district is adopting COVID-19-focused Bus Guardian, which delivers contact tracing, hygiene verification, and driver wellness checks, according to a news release from CalAmp. The integrated software and hardware solution allows a school administrator to create instant reports of each student's bus ridership history, and the enhanced trip inspection module tracks bus hygiene activities across the district’s entire fleet.

"We are investing in contact tracing capabilities in our buildings, so we know we need it in our buses, too. It will continue to play a significant role in keeping students and staff safe and keeping our schools open," said Jeffery James, superintendent for Iredell-Statesville School District. "We recognize how this technology can keep students safe and improve our transportation efficiency."

In addition to Bus Guardian, the school district has adopted Here Comes the Bus, a school bus tracking app developed by CalAmp’s subsidiary, Synovia Solutions.

"Safety starts the moment our students board the bus in the morning and this investment is part of our commitment to keep students safe well before they enter the school building," James said.

Iredell-Statesville will outfit 244 of its school buses, which transport 11,000 students across more than 500 daily routes, with CalAmp's fleet tracking solution. The school district's fleet traveled nearly 2.5 million miles during the last school year.

The district is also investing in a number of other features and software modules focused on improving transportation efficiency:

• Time and attendance - allows drivers to clock in remotely at their assigned buses and receive real-time updates on their routes throughout the day.

• Engine diagnostics - captures real-time engine and vehicle status, helping prevent costly breakdowns leading to improved management of fleet assets and maintenance facilities.

• Pre- and post-trip inspections - allows drivers to manage inspections from their in-cab tablets, minimizing paperwork and streamlining the inspection process.

"Perhaps now more than ever, schools must incorporate technology into their plans for a return to in-class teaching to keep their students safe and their facilities open," said Jeff Clark, senior vice president of product management for CalAmp. "We're excited to support Iredell-Statesville schools as they strive to manage the complex challenges associated with the pandemic to ensure student and staff safety today and well after this period passes."