Digital Learning & Technology

Stories from the Field: New Web App Provides Brockton Parents with Real-Time Info on School Bus Location

The Office of Digital Learning (ODL) is committed to sharing with the field new developments in the Commonwealth's schools and districts related to digital, blended, and virtual learning. This is one of a series of stories that ODL will share to promote innovation, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing among Massachusetts educators.

Last month, the Brockton Public School District (BPS) launched Schoolbot, an online tool that uses the GPS devices on school buses to identify the location of each bus as students travel to and from school. This "web app" can be accessed by computer or smart phone and shows real-time updates on each bus's location through a user-friendly interface. As Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter said, "Student safety begins when a student leaves home in the morning and continues until they return home safely at the end of the day. Now, Schoolbot allows us to utilize GPS technology combined with smart phones to provide parents with the location of their child's school bus in real time." Officials expect that the use of Schoolbot will also result in fewer calls to the Brockton school district's transportation team when winter weather and other circumstances cause delays. The Schoolbot app was designed for Brockton students and families through a collaborative effort between BPS and MassIT, the state's technology and innovation agency. In 2011, Code for America's first Fellowship Class worked with Boston to create the "Where's My School Bus?" app. The BPS-MassIT collaboration used that work as a starting point and MassIT then began the work of updating the code for the Brockton evolution. To meet the needs of the diverse community of parents and guardians of Brockton's 17,000-plus students, the app is available in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Looking ahead, the Brockton app can serve as a model for other communities across the state. "The collaborative creation of Schoolbot is a great example of the tangible value constituents can gain - and that state and local resources can deliver - when we work together toward a common goal," said Charlie Desourdy, Acting Commonwealth Chief Information Officer and head of MassIT. For more information about Schoolbot, visit the Schoolbot link here. A very short video - available in four languages - provides a high-level overview of the app's user-friendly interface and functionality. Please note: only parents and guardians of BPS students can register to use the Brockton app. To learn more about the Brockton-MassIT SchoolBot collaboration, contact Michael Hamel, Director of MassIT's Office of Municipal & School Technology at (617) 626-4501 or via email.

Last Updated: January 11, 2016