SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — District officials say new technology to better monitor the comings and goings of school buses and students is coming to Seminole County Public Schools this year.

The district is phasing in technology that will require students to use their ID cards to tap in when they get on and off the bus.

“Once they tap on from the school, it will tell us what bus stop they’re supposed to get off,” said SCPS Director of Transportation Services Stan McKinzie.

McKinzie was quick to point out the district won’t use the technology to track kids.

“The main reason we are using this is safety,” he said. “We’re trying to make parents feel comfortable knowing that their student is on the bus and we’re able to make sure they’re getting on and off the bus as safe as possible.”

Tracking or not, mother of three Tiffany Parris says she doesn’t mind and is happy to have the new technology.

“We don’t have to worry about if they made it onto the bus or not, or any mishaps along the way,” she said. “It’s just another way to track (them) and I love it.”

Parris has got the back-to-school process down pat, but says that wasn’t always the case.

“The first year we started school here in Seminole County we didn’t know how the bus situation worked,” she said. “So at times we’d be sitting out there (at the bus stop) for an hour, thinking we were on time.”

District officials say there is help in place for Parris and other parents this year to keep that kind of situation from happening.

McKinzie said parents will be able to use an app on their phones to track school buses and see if they’re running late.

“You might have a stop time of 8:25 a.m. pickup, so it will allow that parent to know that bus isn’t going to be at that bus stop until 8:35 a.m.,” he said.

McKinzie said the new upgrades will not be installed all at once, but will be phased in over time.