AT&T today announced a combined RFID and GPS based mobile resource management (MRM) solution for the education industry, allowing K-12 institutions to track and monitor school buses while en route. Using the system, vehicle location, speed and other data can be viewed via a Web browser.

And it's not just about tracking buses. "The integration of RFID and MRM applications is especially beneficial when trying to ensure the safety of students when they're on their way to and from school," according to a company statement. "Deploying RFID readers in addition to tracking devices on school buses enables educators to determine when students get on or off, as well as the location of buses when they're en route."

"Of course, kids being the way they are, they will no doubt come up with ways to circumvent in-school and in-bus RFID tracking within a few minutes of the system being deployed," notes Digital Trends' Geoff Duncan. "After all, it took my generation about 30 seconds to 'acquire' the magical hall passes that let us go anywhere we wanted at any time. We have to assume kids these days are at least as clever."

More here from BetaNews ... more here from the San Antonio Business Journal ... and the press release is here.