Raptor is “a computerized visitor management system,” defined LOSD Safety and Security Administrator John Parke, that helps control access to all school buildings in LOSD and the district’s central office. The screening kiosks, installed by LOSD’s Computer Network Services, sync to a common network. These changes are a part of the district’s greater security initiative after schools underwent a security audit last spring conducted by True North Consulting Group.

Currently, those who are “not on staff at a particular school or registered as a student” are considered visitors, said Parke. Visitors scan their driver’s license or other ID (or, they may input their information manually) at the kiosk on the left side of the entrance in the LOHS building. There, assistant principal Ryan Rosenau explained, the system “checks that individual’s ID against the national sex offender database.” If the report comes back positive, a report is immediately sent to the assigned administrator of the building.

Assuming that the report comes back negative, the system will subsequently print a visitor badge with the individual’s photo, name and the time and date. Once the person registers at one school, the system network will retain his or her information across the district, a timesaver for future visits.

As the visitor leaves the building, he or she will sign out using the same terminal which they initially used to sign in. “This way, each building can track who exactly is in the building and when they leave,” said Parke. A potential benefit is that “During a crisis, it will quickly help us [see] if everyone got out safely,” he noted.

“[Raptor also] works in tandem with our new security vestibule,” said Rosenau, “because at that point, all of our visitors are within the vestibule, so then they get access to the building and buzzed into the main office so they can go in.” 

According to Parke, other security upgrades that come from the same initiative include “additional video surveillance cameras . . .” and the hiring of new security personnel.