San Antonio -- At some districts the truancy problem is so bad, GPS technology is being used to handle the more serious offenders. Some students are being asked to keep a hand-held tracking device with them at all times. It may sound a little far fetched, but three San Antonio school districts that use the system said News 4 WOAI it works.
"Kids need to be in school. It's the law," one parent told us.
Every parent we spoke with today told us keeping kids in school is a big priority. But how to do it seems to be the tough part for some parents.
"Every school has challenges with keeping students in school and getting them to cross the stage at graduation," Northside I.S.D. spokesperson, Pascual Gonzalez, said.
Gonzalez told us his district, like most, was looking for a solution. So they tracked down a pilot program that gave them 25 GPS units and 12 weeks to try them out. They started in the fall and almost immediately saw results.
"The students have been going to school,” Gonzalez noted. “It appears to be a very successful pilot and we're looking to expand it."
A local judge that handles truancy cases decides who gets one.
We had the company that makes the GPS device show us what it looks like. It's not much bigger than a cell phone.
Justin Thompson says a student is required to send messages back to his company throughout the day. Special number codes can tell them where a student is and what they're doing at all times.
All three districts that use the GPS system, Northside, San Antonio, and Judson, just decided to make this a permanent program. They are even looking to buying more GPS units.
