MADISON, AL - Parents of Columbia Elementary School students will be able to know the whereabouts of their children every time he or she boards a school bus beginning in January.

Tuesday night, Madison City School Transportation Director Bobby Jackson presented an update to the school board about a pilot program developed by a local mapping services company, Spatial Net, that will provide a GPS school bus tracking system using a child's fingerprint.

Columbia will serve as a pilot program during the spring semester for all students who wish to participate at no cost through May. Not only will parents be able to keep track of their children, but they can also follow the path of the bus and its speed, said Jackson.

"Only parents will have access to know whether their child is on the bus," he said. "The information is not going to be out there somewhere. Only certain points of the fingerprint will be programmed and no one will be able to acquire the fingerprint information."

Parents and school administrators will be able to follow the route of the bus throughout the Columbia school zone. Eight buses will be used in the pilot program, said Jackson, and the details of the cost involved will be made before the 2011-12 school year begins.

"The purpose of the pilot program will be to identify problems," said board president Ray White. "I think it is something worthwhile to implement."

Board member Sue Helms says she believes "parents will love" the GPS program and the service it will provide.

Helms recently learned she has been named one of five school board members out of hundreds in the state to be named to the All State School Board. She will receive the honor Saturday in Montgomery.

"I'm humbled," said Helms, wiping away tears during the meeting. "It's most significant when you are recognized by your peers."

The board received some good news on the new high school from Volkert management team representatives.

Kevin Gunnison of Volkert said everything is actually ahead of schedule and all contracts have been signed. The official contract end date is July 1, 2012, but he said he expects it to be completed by May 2012.

Board members learned $1.846 million has been spent to date on site preparation and grading.

Kimberly Stewart, 44, was named the new assistant principal at Horizon Elementary School by the board. A native of St. Louis, Stewart has taught in the Madison school system for 13 years. She was Teacher of the Year at Discovery Middle School in 2005.