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What is a school visitor management system and how does it work?

Reimagining School Safety

A school visitor management system eliminates uncertainty and helps schools know precisely who is on campus. By scanning their ID, each visitor’s information is screened against the sex offender registry and custom databases, including those with custody orders and banned visitor status. The system instantly alerts school officials if a visitor is flagged as a security risk. Visitor management systems automatically capture and store visitor data, enabling schools to create security-focused reports for analytical and investigative purposes.

Lakota Local School District Stops Sex Offenders with Raptor® Visitor Management

Why is a visitor management system important in schools?

  • Screen every visitor against sex offender and custom databases, including those with custody orders and banned visitor status
  • Sync with your student information system (SIS) to have accurate student and guardian data and ensure you release students to only approved guardians
  • Immediately alert administrative, security, and other appropriate personnel via text and/or email when a visitor is identified as a risk
  • Generate district- or school-level detailed reports in real time. Create security-focused reports for analytical and investigative purposes
  • Allow student sign-in/sign-out to manage tardiness and early dismissal

How does the Raptor Visitor Management System work?

Visitor Management System for Schools

What type(s) of screenings does Raptor Visitor Management offer?

The Raptor system uses the visitor’s first name, last name, and date of birth that is captured with the ID scan to check only against: 

  • Registered sex offender databases in all 50 U.S. states. 
  • Any alerts from custom databases set up by the school or district containing information including custody orders, expelled students, dismissed school or district employees, etc. 

 

How can districts handle undocumented persons who visit schools?

If a visitor has no scannable form of ID, the Raptor system allows for the manual entry of information (first name, last name, and date of birth) for screening purposes. 

Only the minimum data needed to accurately identify an entrant is collected (i.e., no address information, no social security number, no physical characteristics data—hair color, eye color, weight—is ever captured). No other data is collected from the ID, and a photocopy of the ID is not retained. 

Visitor Management System for Schools

What elements of the system are configurable?

Available with configurable workflows that can be used in combination throughout a district, the Raptor VisitorSafe™ experience capitalizes on the safety and security Raptor is known for along with the self-serve, mobile conveniences schools have been requesting. This includes but is not limited to:  

  • Configurable workflows and personas by visitor type (i.e. parents, contractors, staff, and volunteers).  
  • Supporting automatic visitor registration by scanning both the front and back of acceptable identification, including state driver’s licenses, military IDs, passports, and more.  
  • Allowing schools to provide QR codes to known visitors for expedited entry to a specific event and allowing badges to be pre-printed in bulk for large events.  

How is data used, stored, and protected?

The Raptor system collects the name, date of birth, and the last four digits of the license number. Additionally, the camera image captured will be stored for printing. If two or more visitors have the same first name, last name, and date of birth, Raptor uses the last four digits of the license number to differentiate between them. Only the minimum data needed to accurately identify an entrant is collected (i.e., no address information, no Social Security numbers, no physical characteristic data, etc.). No other data is collected from the ID and no photocopy of the ID is retained. Additional data can be imported into the Raptor system and stored similarly to visitor data, such as student and staff directory data including the name, student ID number, and grade level of the student. No student record data is imported (i.e., no test scores, no home address, etc.).

The data is used to ensure that the district/school maintains a log of all visitors and other entry data through the front office.

The Raptor IT security services prevent account penetration by hackers and identity thieves; ensure two-way data encryption both at rest and in transit; conduct annual system security audits; and continuously monitor logins, system usage patterns, and usage frequency. Accounts and information are protected behind multiple safeguards. Raptor comprehensively monitors, tests, and ensures that the data is secured against potential threats.

Safe Schools

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