Truant Students to Carry a GPS Device (Bryan, TX)

New Program in Bryan Makes Truant Students Carry a GPS Device Bryan High students who skip school will soon be tracked 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Posted: 3:23 PM Jan 18, 2010 Reporter: Meredith Stancik Bryan High students who skip school will soon be tracked 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s called the Attendance Improvement Management Program or AIM, and it has been used across Texas and the United States. Students who find themselves in Brazos County Justice of the Peace Tommy Munoz’s truancy court will be enrolled. In fact, Tuesday morning the first group of Bryan truants will be given hand-held GPS tracking monitors and will receive one-on-one coaching to get them back to school. “There are lots of programs that council and mentor students to stay in school,” says AIM’s CEO Travis Knox. “The AIM program is different since it provides students with accountability in addition to coaching.” Students on the program are tracked with a hand-held GPS device between the time they leave for school in the morning and the time they check in for curfew at night. After curfew, students receive individualized coaching. “While tracking students is an important part of what we do, our coaching sessions are the most important part of the equation,” says Knox. “Our coaches help students set short-term, attainable goals, starting with staying in school.” You may recall, JP Munoz announced his plans last year to implement the truancy program. Nationwide, AIM has reported