VIDEO: Parkville Principal Discusses Pupil Attendance Program

It's 8 a.m., do you know where your children are?

If your kids go to Parkville High School, you should. That's because starting this year became one of 18 schools throughout Baltimore and Harford counties to use an electronic system they're calling "Swipe" to track student attendance.

Here's how it works.

Each student has an identification card they use to check into the building each morning via computer terminals near the school's entrance. The data from the computers is set to each classroom in the school where teachers can see whether the students in class match the students who checked in during the morning.

When a student is late, the system, operated by Baltimore-based SwipeK12, will issue a pass (either excused or unexcused) that the student can show to his/her teacher, and if the system sees that a student cut class the previous day, it sounds a loud alarm.

In either case, parents can be informed by email within 10 or 15 minutes when their student checks in each morning.

SwipeK12 has a contract with Baltimore County to implement the tracking system, but schools decide individually whether or not it's something they need.

If a school decides to implement the program, they pay any associated costs out of their own budget, according to SwipeK12 employee John Amatruda

Watch the video above to hear Lexa Newman, one of the Parkville High employees who checks students in each morning; Charlene Dimino, the school principal; and Amatruda talk about the new system.