Carroll County Schools

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Carroll County Schools in Carrollton, GA, is proactive about safety. To provide an extra level of protection for students and staff in the event of an emergency, the school system utilizes wireless technology for backup communication.

Mobile broadband/ public safety case study: Carroll County Schools

158 bus drivers to transport them safely. Carroll County Schools wanted to ensure that bus drivers could alert the transportation department when help was needed. Like many other school districts, Carroll County Schools had a limited budget for new technology, so any solution had to be affordable and reasonably priced.

Carroll County Schools

Solution

www.carrollcountyschools.com

• The school system’s 158 bus drivers wear eTrak devices on lanyards around their necks during their routes.

School description: Carroll County Schools in Carrollton, GA, has approximately 14,500 students enrolled in its 32 schools and has a staff of 1,900 employees.

Challenges • The school system needed a reliable way to locate and maintain communication with its 158 buses during emergencies when twoway radios can’t be reached. • The solution needed to be affordable for a small new-technology budget. Carroll County Schools is a large district covering 550 square miles, including many rural and urban areas. Every day, 10,000 students ride school buses and depend on

The Verizon representative for Carroll County Schools showed Jackie Coffee, the school system’s Director of Transportation, an eTrak device at a trade show. eTrak is a thumb-sized tracking device that uses GPS technology with a hybrid tracking system. The device’s global location management platform works on all computer and smartphone operating systems; the technology uses local Wi-Fi access points to triangulate user location. eTrak devices can be worn or carried discreetly. When pressed for 1–2 seconds, eTrak instantly sends an email or text alert to pre-programmed contacts from the district. The alert shows the device’s location on a map—sometimes within 10 feet— and provides turn-by-turn directions to it. eTrak devices can be monitored on the eTrak website or through a mobile application. People who monitor the devices can get close-up

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street views of the area near the device. They can also tell when an eTrak battery is dead so they can alert users to charge the device. Coffee ordered 160 eTrak devices—one for each of her route drivers and two backups. The school system found the devices to be reasonably priced. “Carroll County Schools’ budget, like most school districts, is tight,” says Coffee. “Our district has focused on safety, and the eTrak was an attractive option. When it comes to safety, we thought it was worth it. We’re trying to be prepared.” The alerts notify Coffee and two other staff members, who contact 911 to dispatch first responders to the location.

Results • School officials are pleased with device efficiency and accuracy. • Bus drivers and school officials feel more prepared for emergency situations. Fortunately, since implementation of the eTrak devices, Carroll County Schools hasn’t had an emergency.

“The different local agencies are impressed with this technology, and they’re all onboard with its value.” Jackie Coffee Director of Transportation Carroll County Schools

The devices have been tested, and the school system is pleased with the devices’ efficiency: Alerts are sent and delivered quickly regardless of where a bus is on its route. In addition, the GPS locations are very accurate, and buses can be located right away. Bus drivers feel safer, and Coffee feels better knowing that if there’s a problem, she can locate a bus immediately and send help within moments. “It’s nice to have a safety net,” says Coffee. “I hope we never have to use it, but I don’t believe you can ever have too much communication available. I think that’s the ticket to safety.”

Law enforcement has been very supportive and is committed to responding to every call. “[Carroll County] Sheriff Langley has indicated that he has no problem responding to a false alarm, should one occur,” explains Coffee.

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