School District Implements Iris Scanners on Buses After Student’s Death

IritransThe Antelope Valley Schools Transportation Agency is using biometric iris scanners on special needs buses to prevent tragedies like the recent death of an autistic student who was abandoned on his school bus.

Hun Joon “Paul” Lee, a 19-year-old autistic student, was left on a contracted school bus in a district parking lot for hours Sept. 11, when he was found unresponsive laying in the aisle. A substitute driver picked him up at 8:30 a.m. and his parents believe he never got off the bus. Lee’s mother realized something was wrong when his bus didn’t arrive after school, NBC Los Angeles reports.

The nearby Antelope Valley Transportation Agency, meanwhile, is conducting a pilot program with iris scanners on special needs buses in hopes of preventing a similar tragedy from occurring in that district.

“Students will biometrically (iris) scan identity as the board and exit the school bus,” according to a Monday press release. “The IRITRANS system will notify the driver visibly and audibly if the child is about to get on or off at the wrong bus stop. When the bus reaches the end of its daily route, the driver simply ends the route on the IRITRANS mobile device and if all students have not exited the bus, the device will notify the driver both visually and audibly to recheck the bus.”

“Lost or sleeping kids. It happens every year in most school districts nationally only we rarely hear about it,” IRITRAK president John DeVries said. “Kids left sleeping on a bus is at epidemic proportions nationally.” (Read more from “School District Implements Iris Scanners on Buses After Student’s Death” HERE)

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