by Cori Hilsgen
news@thenewsleaders.com
Kennedy Community School is a little safer and more secure for students, faculty and staff this year because of a new Raptor Visitor Management System.
The system, which was installed two years ago and implemented this fall, is the core of an integrated set of technology solutions that were designed to protect students, faculty and staff.
Kennedy Principal Laurie Putnam said the system was installed to provide the highest level of security for all people at the school.
Families, volunteers and other visitors understand and support the school’s efforts to screen those entering the school.
The system is simple to use for both visitors and school staff. A visitor presents a valid government-issued identification. Next, the school-office staff scans the identification, and then each visitor receives a badge with their photo, name and a designation for school access such as “volunteer” or “visitor.”
“Our Kennedy Community School is grateful for the investment made by our school-district administration in the security of our students, staff and families,” Putnam said. “The Raptor system has proven highly effective and efficient, and provides an additional layer of assurance to our community that those in our care are safe and secure.”
St. Joseph Police Chief Joel Klein said he is glad the new security system is in place to keep the school more secure and that there is more accountability for people in the building.
“We appreciate the effort District 742 has put into this program,” Klein said.
The Raptor system offers the following.
- Instant screening of each and every visitor against the registered sex offender databases in all 50 states.
- Database checks of visitors against custom databases set by each school that contain custody alerts and/or banned visitors.
- Accurate and reliable records are kept for every visitor who enters the school every day.
- The system can quickly and easily create reports for individual schools or entire districts.
- The system is trusted by more K-12 schools to protect their students, faculty and staff than every other system combined.
Putnam said if there is an issue, the school and district administration and police receive an immediate notification. They address concerns that arise.
Gary Ganje, executive director of technology and district-support services, said the system cost approximately $1,550. That includes the software, printer, scanner and support.
The system is also installed at Apollo High School, North Junior High, Lincoln Elementary, Madison Elementary, McKinley and Roosevelt schools and is currently being installed at South Junior High School in St. Cloud.
Ganje said either school-office staff or school-door monitors greet visitors and process their information within the Raptor system. The school resource officer is included on the notification list at all schools using the Raptor system so they receive notification at the same time as school staff.
Putnam said Kennedy Community School has 815 students enrolled in kindergarten through eighth grade as of Sept. 9. This does not include any pre-school students.
Kennedy Community School employee Lindsey Hess scans an identification card in the school’s new Raptor Visitor Management System. The system is simple to use for both visitors and school staff. Visitors present a valid government-issued identification. Next, the school office staff scans the identification and each visitor then receives a badge with their photo, name and a designation for school access such as “volunteer” or “visitor.”
