District Enhances School Security With Visitor Registration System

As part of its continuing efforts to enhance the security of district schools, Eden Prairie Schools is implementing a new visitor management system in its schools and facilities. 

The system is expected to be installed and operational by late August.

The district is installing the Raptor Visitor Management system, which is being used by more than 8,000 schools and facilities across the country. 

The system will enhance the district’s current visitor registration process by tracking visitors and volunteers who enter the school or facility. Each school will continue to be staffed by a district employee who has been trained to use the system.

When entering a district school or facility, all visitors will be required to scan a driver’s license or other government-issued identification. The system will only scan the name, date of birth and photo from the visitor’s ID. The system then keeps track of who is in the building and prints a visitor badge that includes the photo and name of the visitor, along with the time and date. Along with keeping a log of building visitors, the system also compares the scanned information with a national database of registered sex offenders. Visitors will also log out when leaving a building.

Once a visitor scans a driver’s license or other identification, there is no need to do it again when visiting a building in the future. The system holds the information regarding each visitor and will allow you to find your name in the system and print out a visitor badge each time you come to a building. The information scanned into the system will be used for no other purpose by the district.

“The new system will allow us to automate our visitor check-in process and will provide another layer of safety and security for our schools,” said Superintendent Curt Tryggestad. “While it may take parents and other visitors a little extra time when checking into a building, we believe a small inconvenience for adults is worth a greater sense of security for students.”

This article was released by Eden Prairie Schools.