Visitors now stopped for district check-in

The newest security check-in process at Carroll ISD has already deterred one registered sex offender from entering the campus. Raptor Technologies V-soft visitor tracking system uses a swipe of the visitor’s driver’s license to check through a national registered sex offender’s database.

“We’re just checking to make sure that people with prior offenses do not gain access to our campuses,” said Julie Thannum, Director of Communications and Marketing.

Thannum also said the program only checks for sexual offenders and does not give information about tickets or other offenses.

There has been one positive hit, identifying a construction worker last month.

“The offender chose to leave the campus before the police arrived on the scene,” Thannum said.

CISD administrators piloted the new security check-in system at five campuses last month.

Johnson Elementary, Dawson Middle, Rockenbaugh Elementary, Carroll High and Carroll Senior High schools began using the equipment. The remaining seven campuses have the program but are not using it yet.

“The pilot gives us the opportunity to work out any bugs or procedure problems, and it gives people a chance to ask questions before we implement it at all 11 campuses,” Thannum said.

One of the bugs to work out is issues concerning large events where families are visiting and the check-in process could be significantly slowed down Thannum said.

“The system is not really designed for occasions where 100s of parents are coming to a school all at once, like a parent’s day or a choir performance,” Thannum said. “It’s more for visitors, people making deliveries and contractors who are entering the campuses during the day.”

There are also occasions when a false hit comes up, Thannum said. If the database matches a name of an offender with the name on the driver’s license, it may not be the person on the campus.

“Fortunately, a picture comes up, so you don’t get a mistaken identity,” she said.

The new security procedures are in addition to the existing check-in process and safety measures CISD has already implemented.

“This is just one more thing to add to our overall safety initiatives,” Thannum said. “We had the surveillance equipment installed last year as part of the bond projects and we do background checks on people who work one-on one with students.”