From school threats to a pandemic, parents have enough to worry about during these turbulent times, but a new app that debuts this month in the Mars Area School District should help to allay at least some of their concerns.

The Stopfinder Parent Engagement App, which launches on March 14, provides parents with school bus schedule information and GPS-based alerts to let them know when a student's school bus is departing or arriving.

The district's school board approved the purchase of the app licenses and GPS hardware in November.

Parents who choose to use the app will be able to access it with sign-up information sent through the district's Skyward family access portal.

Technology that improves the safety of students in the county and provides peace of mind for their parents is always welcome.

Whether a child's bus is slowed down due to construction on a roadway or if inclement weather has slowed down traffic and, as a result, delayed the arrival or pick-up of their child, the app will enable parents to react to such scenarios in real time, rather than sitting and fretting while not knowing why a delay has occurred.

The district will be able to communicate directly with parents via the app in the event of a bus delay, traffic jam or other urgent situation.

Although modern parents in the region have likely had greater success than previous generations in keeping track of where their children are — as most children carry smartphones or other such devices — any additional tools that enhance safety are a great idea.

We're glad to see the app debuting this month, and hope that it helps to alleviate concerns parents might have if their child hasn't arrived home at the expected time or if their bus hasn't shown up to pick them up in the morning.

— NCD