Frequently Asked Questions

SMART tag is a full-featured system designed to streamline services including transportation and cafeteria meal transactions as well as coordinate campus dismissal preferences electronically with parents of elementary students. The system also coordinates reporting absences online with the child's campus.

The transportation feature ensures authorized bus ridership resulting in increased safety and security of students who utilize school bus transportation. Passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and cloud-connected tablet computers in each school bus provide accurate, near real-time information.

The elementary campus dismissal feature offers parents a method to communicate (via a parent portal/app) with their child's campus regarding elementary after school dismissal and/or attendance exceptions. SMART tag also connects cafeteria meal transactions to RevTrak online payments.

Secured Mobility LLC, is a privately-held technology company located in Georgetown, TX. As the developer of SMART tag, Secured Mobility has leveraged over a decade of experience in developing security software, hardware and deploying cloud-hosting infrastructure.

The SMART tag transportation feature is designed to enhance communication between the transportation department and the parents of student riders. Parents may see if their child is on the bus and approximately when the bus will arrive at the stop. Additionally, parents may opt to be notified via text of the estimated bus arrival time to their stops.

The system also offers parents a method to communicate (via a parent portal/app) with their child's elementary campus regarding after school dismissal and/or attendance exceptions. SMART tag also connects cafeteria meal transactions to RevTrak online payments.

All students will receive a SMART tag for various uses at school. However, only those students who qualify for transportation services will be identified as such when using their new SMART tag as they board their assigned bus, including families who live in the Eanes ISD boundaries and children of employees. Families who do not reside in Eanes ISD and are not staff are not eligible to receive bus service; therefore, their child's SMART tag will not allow transportation to and from school but will still be functional for other uses on campus.

The Campus Dismissal program for parents of elementary students uses SMART tag’s technology to communicate and coordinate dismissal changes. The system allows parents to utilize web-based technology (desktop or mobile), to communicate their child's change in dismissal plans safely, easily and quickly.

Eanes Elementary has piloted a campus dismissal program over the past three years and began using SMART tag campus dismissal at the start of the school year. The remaining five elementary schools have an anticipated launch of the program in February.

View Campus Dismissal Program overview.

Parents may register through the same parent portal used for transportation changes, https://parent.smart-tag.net.

The parent app can be added to a mobile device home screen for easy access.

If you know your child will not attend school because he/she is home sick or has an appointment for the day, login to the SMART tag Parent Portal and the system will notify the school your child will be absent.

All students will receive a SMART tag for various uses at school. However, only those students who qualify for transportation services will be identified as such when using their new SMART tag as they board their assigned bus, including families who live in the Eanes ISD boundaries and children of employees. Families who do not reside in Eanes ISD and are not staff are not eligible to receive bus service; therefore, their child's SMART tag will not allow transportation to and from school but will still be functional for other uses on campus.

Yes, in order to foster increased student safety and security as well as to provide a more efficient process of loading and unloading our buses, SMART tag ID badges will be required for all riders. Additionally, in order to minimize the manual review of students who misplace or forget SMART tag ID badges at home or school, those students possessing SMART tag ID badges will be allowed to board the bus first.

Parents must be registered to use the Parent Portal to view bus activity. Enroll through the parent portal, https://parent.smart-tag.net.

If a student does not have their SMART tag at the bus stop, the driver must personally log them in. This is more time consuming than students tagging in, and can delay a route, causing anxiety or late buses down the line. Because of this, those who do not have their tags are loaded and unloaded last. Manually logging in is time consuming and the compliant students should not be held up.

Elementary students who have received three (3) manual loadings by the driver for not having their tag will be reported to the campus office for issuance of a new tag. The first replacement card is no cost, while the cost of any subsequent replacement cards is $5.00.

Yes, students must register for transportation services each year via the Student Information Verification process. In the event of relocation during the school year, parents will be required to re-register their child for transportation services in order to obtain updated bus routes and bus stops. This may be done through the campus registrar when enrolling the student or during the school year.

The bus driver will be able to view the student’s picture, name, ID number, seat number, school, grade, and bus stop.

No information is stored on a SMART tag ID badge. The SMART tag system utilizes Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and cloud-connected tablet computers. The technology is passive, meaning that the ID card does not have a continuous signal so students will not be tracked when they are not on the bus. The ID cards only power up to talk to the SMART tag Driver Tablet when the student is on the bus. Also, only the student’s name and associated bar code will be printed on the ID badge.

The SMART tag system utilizes Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and cloud-connected tablet computers. The technology is passive, meaning that the ID card does not have a continuous signal so students will not be tracked when they are not on the bus. The ID cards only power up to talk to the SMART tag Driver Tablet when the student is on the bus. Also, only the student’s name and associated bar code will be printed on the ID badge; no information is stored on the badge.

Tags are manufactured with a 14-digit code. The RFID tag simply presents the 14-digit code to the SMART tag tablet RFID reader which only pulls from the student information associated with the code stored on the computer tablet. The badge cannot be read/tracked anywhere else or be read/tracked by any other product.

The SMART tag parent portal is accessible from a desktop computer or a smart phone. From a smart phone, there is no 'app' to install. However, when you first visit the parent portal website from the phone's internet browser, select 'Add to Home Screen' and a tile (graphic icon to launch apps) will be added on the smart phone for easy access in the future.

Yes, electronic notifications (text alerts) are available through SMART tag. The parent must be registered for the Parent Portal to receive a notification. There is no cost to parents to utilize the SMART tag Parent Portal. The portal may be accessed directly at https://www.parent.smart-tag.net.

Parents will be able to track their child’s bus once his/her student swipes his/her SMART tag ID badge upon boarding the bus. Bus activity/tracking will remain active until the child swipes his/her SMART tag ID badge to get off the bus. Please note, parents must be registered to use the Parent Portal to view bus activity.

Yes, the parent can view a student’s ridership activity for the current day or any previous day of the school year, under the activity history. Please note that it may take up to several minutes from a student loading/unloading the bus for SMART tag to update its records due to network connectivity. Parents should be aware it may take longer if there is a poor signal or the network provider is experiencing a delay/latency issue out of Eanes ISD’s control.

Parents may register through the Parent Portal to receive an alert/notification when the bus is approximately 10-15 minutes prior to pick-up and drop-off.

Please contact your child’s campus office for replacement badges.

Replacement ID badges are $5.00 each.

No, students are required to maintain their SMART tags from year to year. If a replacement card is needed, parents should contact their student's campus office.

No. At this time we are only providing one card per student. Replacement ID badges are $5.00 each.

Yes, students must register for transportation services each year via the Student Information Verification process. In the event of relocation during the school year, parents will be required to re-register their child for transportation services in order to obtain updated bus routes and bus stops. This may be done through the campus registrar when enrolling the student or during the school year.

Yes, parents may register a child for transportation services at any time during the school year through the campus registrar.

Yes, however, parents should submit a written request to add the individuals that are approved to receive their student (Pre-K -1st and Special Ed only) from the bus. This is an additional safety feature for students. This information will be part of the student information that the driver can immediately view. Parents of elementary students can change the list as needed the day-of, up until 30 minutes before dismissal, notifying their campus through the campus dismissal module. Parents of secondary students should notify the campus through normal channels identified by the campus.

The driver will be able to manually override the information and add the student to the ridership roster from the student’s SMART tag ID badge. Therefore, the student will only need one SMART tag ID badge.

Yes, however, parents of elementary students should notify the campus of the desired stop change through the campus dismissal module. Parents of secondary students should notify the campus through normal channels identified by the campus.

The Campus Dismissal program for parents of elementary students uses SMART tag’s technology to communicate and coordinate dismissal changes. The system allows parents to utilize web-based technology (desktop or mobile), to communicate their child's change in dismissal plans safely, easily and quickly.

Eanes Elementary has piloted a campus dismissal program over the past three years and began using SMART tag campus dismissal at the start of the school year. The remaining five elementary schools have an anticipated launch of the program in January.

View Campus Dismissal Program overview.

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There may be a one-minute delay to process the exchange of information between the SMART tag tablet mounted on each bus and the SMART tag main server.

No, the SMART tag system will not provide weather-related or emergency notification. Information regarding inclement weather, bus accidents and other emergency notification will be provided by the Skylert Message Center alerts and messages sent from the Transportation Department.

The SMART tag transportation feature is designed to enhance communication between the transportation department and the parents of student riders. Parents may see if their child is on the bus and approximately when the bus will arrive at the stop. Additionally, parents may opt to be notified via text of the estimated bus arrival time to their stops.

The system also offers parents a method to communicate (via a parent portal/app) with their child's elementary campus regarding after school dismissal and/or attendance exceptions. SMART tag also connects cafeteria meal transactions to RevTrak online payments.

SMART tag not only provides immediate information regarding which students are on which bus, it also automates a number of reporting functions for transportation department personnel such as daily ridership counts, state mandated headcounts, maintenance requests and mileage reports. This timely information allows Eanes ISD to design the most efficient routes possible leading to minimization of ride times, fuel burn and maintenance costs. SMART tag also provides efficient communication between administrators and drivers, as well as parents and their child's campus with regards to dismissal and attendance exceptions.

SMART tag provides a student profile with a photo ID to enable school bus drivers to perform their duties more efficiently and effectively while improving overall safety and security. It also automates seating charts, safety inspections, maintenance requests, ridership counts and other data allowing the driver to focus more on student and bus management.