In some Wichita schools, visitors will be required to do more than provide a valid ID. A new security system will scan driver’s licenses of visitors and check them against a national database of sex offenders. The new security system, which is currently being used in four schools, is being tested out with hopes of being deployed throughout the entire school district. “As we strive to create an even more secure learning environment for our students, it is our hope that you will find this a welcome enhancement,” the Wichita School District explained on its site.
Of the four schools that are testing the new security system, two are using a system made by Hall Pass, while the other two are using a system produced by LobbyGuard. Although they are two separate companies, their capabilities, services and missions are essentially the same; keeping children safe and the campuses secure.
The systems work by scanning the driver’s licenses of all visitors, volunteers and vendors into the system. Their names and birth dates will then be compared to the national sex offender databases. School officials are alerted if the system makes a match. In addition, after driver’s licenses are swiped and verified, an ID badge will be issued to the visitor(s).
The school district has already spent $3 million on security upgrades such as new surveillance equipment, controlled-access doors and buzz-in entrances. Although the school district does not know how much it will cost to implement the new ID security system, it has been suggested that the price will be added to the security expenditure, and there’s reason to believe this will sit well with administrator and parents alike.
Photo Credit: CampusSafetyMagazine.com