Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) transportation officials on Oct. 15 told the Board of Education’s Operations, Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee that a phased rollout of the Chipmunk parent app is on schedule and ahead of the original plan.

Director Kiva Baldwin said PGCPS has implemented Chipmunk in 8 of 12 bus lots and expects the final four lots to deploy the week of Oct. 20, placing the district “100% implementation” target within reach. "We have our final 4 bus lots that will deploy the week of October 20, ensuring 100% implementation," Baldwin said.

Baldwin provided metrics to illustrate uptake: "We have 3,839 of 4,507 students being transported and tracking within the Chipmunk app," she said, noting the district began a transition to Bus Planner routing on Sept. 2 and plans to finish full routing implementation by Oct. 24.

Staff described a phased approach by lot and route type to reduce disruption. Special‑needs runs were prioritized in the most recent deployment; the director named Goddard Forestville, Bladensburg and John Hanson bus lots among those scheduled for Oct. 20. PGCPS plans to migrate comprehensive family routes in November–December and expects to finish broader rollouts before the winter/Christmas break, a schedule Baldwin described as ambitious but attainable.

To support families, PGCPS said it has run live demonstrations with board members and parent advisory groups in Laurel and the Friendly High School area, built a Chipmunk web portal with a user manual and tutorial video, and deployed a chatbot for common questions. Baldwin said families in upcoming lots will receive a pre‑informational email with direct links to the app store and a 24‑hour reminder before a lot goes live.

Board members pressed staff on what parents need to do. Baldwin said the immediate ask is simple: download the Chipmunk app and be ready on the day their lot migrates. The district also plans a Phase 1 family survey to collect feedback on app performance and service for special‑needs routes.

PGCPS officials asked board members to help amplify instructions to constituents and said staff will share summary materials for board use. The committee did not take a vote on policy changes; the update was informational and operational in scope.

The transportation team will publish an updated rollout timeline on the PGCPS website and continue daily staff trainings and small huddles to resolve emergent routing issues.