As a result of the Project 19-31S update to Measure S, $45,710 will now be provided to Oak Park Unified School District schools in order to install security systems districtwide. 

The plan includes the implementation of Raptor Visitor Management Systems at all five school campuses, which was approved as the Measure S Project 19-31S. The company specializes in school security software, used at over 32,000 schools nationwide.

“The safety of our students is our highest priority and the Raptor visitor management system allows us to quickly identify those who may present a danger to our students,” Director of Student Support and School Safety Stewart McGugan wrote to the Talon.

According to McGugan, the system will be piloted at Medea Creek Middle School.

“Several of the classified staff that will oversee Raptor at MCMS are on the Safety and Security Task Force and requested that we pilot it with them. I was very happy that they were willing to do this. They did an amazing job working with parents and staff to make the process seamless,” McGugan wrote.

With these new installations, schools will be able to “screen campus[es] for sex offenders, alert staff of custody violations, and provide districtwide reporting for all visitors,” according to the Dec. 17, 2019 board meeting notes. 

In addition to this, emergency panic buttons will be installed in order for school personnel to “instantly alert a customized list of school officials” in the case of an issue.

The idea for the update was sparked when the contract for the previous visitor ID badge system was coming to an end. The renewal of the contract with the previous system cost more than what Raptor, prompting the district to turn to the new system.

When a visitor enters one of the campuses, they will be asked to present some sort of identification (such as a driver’s license), which will then be entered into the system. Raptor will check to validate that no registered sexual offenders have entered a campus without knowledge by checking all visitors’ names and dates of birth and comparing them with a national registry.

Once entry is validated, Raptor will create a badge for visitors which includes a photo, location of the visit, and the date of the visit. Badges will not be necessary for those who do not proceed past the front office.

“Part of keeping students and faculty safe is knowing who is on our campuses at all times in case of an emergency situation, and the Raptor system will allow us to do that,” McGugan wrote. “The Raptor system will allow us to screen visitors, contractors and volunteers in our schools and provide us with a safer environment for our students and staff.”