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FAQs
1. Who
is the YSB Team?
At
the national level, the YSB Team consists of:
- The
Points of Light Foundation,
as the grant requestor and administrator,
- Millennium
Technologies, who will manage the integration and installation of the
technology on the buses,
- The
University of Maryland, Eastern Shore who will evaluate all phases of
the
project;
- Nextel,
who is the first corporate sponsor of the YSB Project; and
- Securtex-Defendertech,
technology partner for video surveillance products.
The team will be expanded as new sponsors (grant-makers) come on board.
Sharon Pinder, Special Secretary, Maryland Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs has
accepted our request to be the project’s volunteer national spokesperson. Secretary
Pinder was chosen as national spokesperson because of her dedication to the safety
of America’s children and her ability to inspirationally communicate the project’s vision.
At the State and local level, the team will consist of the organizations named above,
as well as representatives from the State and local school districts and
representatives from the state and local first responder and Homeland Security
communities.
2. What does this project bring to the table?
This project provides a unique comprehensive approach to helping solve one of the
biggest social problems facing our country –violence and preparedness for
emergencies.
3. How will this project be administered?
The project will be administered by the Points of Light Foundation in the same
manner they administer grants for their other programs. Additionally, Points of Light
has formed a National Advisory Board to assist in the development and review of the
policies and necessary protocol to interface with existing federal, state, local and
community emergency service programs. The Advisory Team consists of
representatives from State and local governments as well as private corporations and
non-profits.
4. Why should the States support this project?
The States should support this project because it assists them in one of their critical
missions—protecting their residents. The project provides additional resources for
protecting their children and coordinating the efforts of first responders that will
greatly enhance their ability to quickly and effectively respond to emergencies.
5. Why should the school districts support this project?
The technology provided by the YSB will allow the school district to more effectively
protect their students. School officials will be able to inform parents when and where
students got on and off buses. School officials will be able to immediately identify
students who cause trouble on the buses. School officials will be able to easily
communicate with individual bus drivers—this will allow bus drivers to inform officials
of any problems, and for officials to inform drivers of any problems. School officials
will be able to exactly pinpoint the location of a bus. They will be aware if a bus is
running late or has stopped for an unusually long period of time, both of which could
be an indication of a problem. When parents call to ask why their children haven’t
arrived home yet, the school can accurately report the buses location, why the bus
was delayed, and when the bus is estimated to arrive at each stop.
The technology will record when and where each child enters and leaves the bus.
The bus driver and school officials will receive an alert when a child does not leave
the bus at their designated stop. When the school bus arrives at school, the driver
will receive an alert if all of the students recorded as being on the bus have not
exited. The school will be able to tell a parent where their children got off the bus if
the child gets off at a stop different than the one he or she is supposed to get off at.
6. What is the cost of this project?
This project will be phased in and the cost of equipping school buses will vary
depending on the level of technology and package selected to put on the buses and
the number of buses being equipped. We will work, individually, with all states’
education and school administrators to prepare the most cost effective proposal to
meet each department’s requirements. An excellent benefit of the YSB Program is the
flexibility for each school entity to either apply all technologies or apply only those
what can be budgeted. The components although all inter-related, can be applied in a
modular manner of individual technologies. At anytime subsequent components can
be added.
7. Will individual school districts have to pay for this project?
If individual school districts have the money in their budget to pay to have their buses
equipped they can pay for it directly. Additionally, the Points of Light Foundation is
seeking grants from Federal, State and private entities to fund this project. We
recognize that individual school districts may not have the money to support this
project.
8. Why did the Points of Light Foundation choose Nextel to be the product
provider? Why did they choose Millennium?
Actually it was the other way around. Millennium came up with the idea for this project
and approached Nextel to provide the technology and the Points of Light Foundation
to ask them to manage the project and to administer the grants. Since the mission of
the project falls into the Points of Light’s mission, which is to support programs
designed to help prevent, solve or ameliorate the effects of serious social problems in
the United States, Points of Light was pleased to lead the project.
9. What do you want the States to do?
We want the States to endorse the project and agree to provide as much grant
money to the project as possible. We also want the State to partner with us in
seeking federal and private grants to fund the project in their State.
10. What do you want school administrators to do?
We want school administrators to request that the YSB project be brought to their
jurisdiction. We will partner with them to solicit the federal, state and private grants
needed to accomplish this.