the twin tasks of keeping software up-to date and making sure communications are secure. Fortunately, providers haven’t stood pat in these areas. Brett Taylor, product marketing manag-


The use of tablets is a must in today’s fleet of school buses. They


provide the most valuable asset, the driver,


with yet another tool that they can use to become safer and more


efficient.”


... Mike Bullman, South Carolina DOE


er for Secured Mobility, pointed out that annual updates on the Smart Tag tablets are planned for the driver app, adminis- trative portal and other components of the system, with smaller updates pushed as needed. There is no charge for updates except for a custom feature that’s specific to a single school district, or if a district opts for an additional module that has been developed through requests from school districts. An example of the latter is SMART conduct, a full featured student referral sys- tem that can be used while on route when infractions confer and which automatically pre-fills about 95 percent of the referral. Typically, updates are coordinated at a


pre-arranged time, Taylor added. When district office staff give the okay, the down- load occurs so that it’s already in the system when drivers log in, avoiding the need for drivers to download updates individually. Other recent advancements in the tablet arena offer promise in reducing the security risks inherent to electronic com- munications. Like other computers and connected devices, tablets can be vulner- able to data breaches, hacking and other security risks. But worries in that direction are being addressed though initiatives such as DirectAccess, a security solution intro- duced in July by Kajeet. It enables remote and secure connec-


tions without exposing technology on the bus to the public internet. The new solution supports remote access and interaction among connected devices through the company’s private network. Its design offers protection through several security layers including firewalls, intrusion prevention systems and both real-time and scheduled scans for vulner- abilities and malware. Michael Flood, the senior vice president and general manager of education solu- tions for Kajeet, said he sees a focus on security becoming even more important in the future. “As adoption of 4G and 5G


44 School Transportation News • JANUARY 2022


broadband in school buses grows for both student Wi-Fi access and operational technologies, security will continue to be a key factor,” he said. Another plus is that recent emerg- ing funding sources may be available to offset implementation costs. Zonar’s Mest shared that some districts have utilized their ESSER funds authorized by the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARP), which provides funding to schools to support sustained safe building reopen- ing’s and operations while meeting the academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of students resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic to acquire tablets. “The funding is available for tablets


because there are solutions on the tablets, such as EVIR, that can be used to ensure that a bus is properly sanitized and rider- ship solutions that can be used for contact tracing,” he noted.


Increased Tablet Adoption Given these and other benefits, it’s not surprising that interest from school dis- tricts, about 25 percent of which currently have onboard tablets according to a recent STN readership survey, continues to grow. When it comes to considering an invest- ment in tablets, insiders recommend careful pre-planning. “Do your homework,” advised New York’s Karam. This includes making certain the system is compatible with the routing software, and that there is no latency in the GPS signal. Training is also important. “Make sure staff, office and drivers are


very familiar with how the system oper- ates,” he added. “Train, train, and train.” Bullman in South Carolina said he


feels the benefits of tablets outweigh any concerns about the challenges of imple- menting a new system. “The use of tablets is a must in to-


day’s fleets of school buses,” he said. “They provide not only accurate, real-time information that is needed to make true, data-driven decisions, but they also pro- vide the most valuable asset, the driver, with yet another tool that they can use to become safer and more efficient.” ●


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