When your kids leave the house to go to school in the morning can be a concern for many parents. And trying to keep track of them during where they are during the day most parents leave it to mobile phones.
There are a couple of problems using a mobile phone for tracking purposes as it depends on the children both answering their phone and telling the truth. Plus most schools do not allow phones in classes, and rightfully so.
So when your child leaves the protection of the home and travels to school, you hand over the responsibility of care over to the school, whilst the child is in transit, at school, or on school excursions.
Thankfully companies such as School Travel Manager have passenger and vehicle tracking software that enables the parent to know exactly where and when their children are during the day.
School Travel Manager
When children travel to school on the school bus, or travel outside the school premises on outings and excursions, it is important both the school and the parents know certain details about each and every student.
The school must know when the child is boarding or alights the vehicle, how they behave on the vehicle and can send real time messages to the driver and student.
School Travel Manager utilises a unique swipe card system, that allows the school to know the exact whereabout of each child any moment of time, and allows this information to be accessible to the parents.
Kids Tracking Devices
There are numerous tracking devices on the market that children can wear, which range from watches, mobile phone applications, finger rings, tags, pocket fobs etc.
All these applications and tracking devices are useful tools to keep track of your child when they are out of the family home. They all work using a type of GSM and GPS system, and not only give directions but can provide alerts.
Losing track of a child can be a terrifying prospect for any parent or guardian, and the drop in prices of many tracking devices means it is possible to cheaply track your child.
Whilst offering the parents a sense of comfort, could these devices be detrimental to the children?
Possible Negative Effects of Tracking Devices
Without doubt every parent should be able to know where their children are at any moment of the day, they have a duty towards this. However, whilst tracking devices have an appeal to the parent, they could have a negative effect on the children.
The questions arise, do the children have a right for privacy? And is it normal to track our children twenty four hours a day? Children also need to have private spaces and time, and to grow up not being constantly observed.
Tracking devices can definitely be used for good, but a balance should be made on just how far they interfere with children’s privacy. They should not be used as a spying device, and parents should explain their purpose fully to the child and receive their acceptance.
Finally parents should not use tracking devices as a replacement for their parental duties, this is completely not their purpose.
Knowing if your child has arrived at school safely, and when they are travelling with the school is perfectly acceptable. If you think that your child’s school could benefit from a passenger management tracking and monitoring system, then why not contact School Travel Manager to see just what the system can do.