ScholarChip, Zebra Technologies and ID solutions reseller, ARMET Group, have together created the Affordable Smart Card ID Initiative, a new subsidy program designed to enable qualifying school districts to implement ID card systems and issue secure smart cards to students and staff.

The subsidy is provided when either purchasing a Starter Kit that includes all the essentials that a school district needs to implement, or when upgrading to a Smart ID Card Solution. The starter kit contains:

• ScholarChip’s school-specific One Card ID Manager software. A cloud-based Smart ID card issuance system complete with 1,000 free contactless Smart ID Cards.
• Zebra’s ZXP Series 3 card printer and encoder.
• ARMET, a national association of solution providers, will provide installation, integration, sales, training and service of the software and hardware.

Subsidized pricing for the Starter Kit is based on spending per student and free or reduced lunch ratios. The subsidy is available to districts at all levels of ID security, including those that currently have no ID card system in place; those that want to improve their card printer hardware; or those that want to upgrade an existing ID system from standard plastic or mag stripe cards to new smart card technology.

“In today’s environment, it is imperative for educational institutions to have visibility that will increase the safety and security of students and staff,” says Ram Ramaprasad, director of product management for Card Printing Solutions at Zebra Technologies. “With this smart card-based solution and initiative, we are helping to make it easier and less expensive for schools to protect their students and personnel and allow only authorized people into their facilities.”

ScholarChip’s One Card ID Manager software manages the ID process for schools start for finish. The system takes a photograph of individuals and stores them in a school Student Information System (SIS). The system then encodes a globally unique ID to that individual and prints a Smart ID Card.

The One Card solution can integrate with modern and legacy school systems and can connect to a host of services including automated attendance, cafeteria purchases, free and reduced lunch program tracking, library checkouts, bus monitoring and staff time clocks. As an added layer of security, the system also provides administrators and police with actionable safety information in the case of emergency or lockdown situations.

The subsidy application and more information can be found at www.smartcardsforschools.com.