Campus Visitors

  • Kennedale ISD utilizes the Raptor Visitor Management System in all of our schools to strengthen our program of campus safety for students and faculty.  Part of keeping students and faculty safe is knowing who is in our buildings at all times, and the Raptor system will allow us to do that.  The Raptor system will better allow us to screen visitors, contractors, and volunteers in our schools and provide us with a safer environment for our students and staff.  

    Upon entering a district building, visitors will be asked to present an ID such as a Driver’s License, which can either be scanned or manually entered into the system.  If a parent or guardian for any reason does not have a US government-issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor system. The Raptor system will check to ensure that registered sexual offenders are not entering our school campuses without our knowledge.  The Raptor system checks the visitor's name and date of birth for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders.  The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system.  No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency. Once an entry is approved, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit.  A visitor’s badge will not be necessary for those who visit our schools simply to drop off an item in the office or pick up paperwork.  

    The safety of our students is our highest priority and the Raptor visitor management system allows us to quickly identify those that may present a danger to our students.  Thank you in advance for your understanding and your support in enhancing the school safety protocols in our district.

     

Raptor FAQ

  • What Is the Raptor System?
    Raptor is a visitor-tracking system that will enhance our school security. The system reads visitor driver's licenses (or other government-issued photo IDs), compares information to a sex offender database, alerts campus administrators if a match is found, then (assuming no match was made) prints a visitor badge that includes a photo of the visitor.


    How does it work?
    Drivers' license information is compared to a database that consists of registered sex offenders from 49 states. If a match is found, the operator of the program (school employee) will get an alert of a possible match so that campus administrators and law enforcement personnel can take steps to keep the campus safe.


    Why is Kennedale ISD  using this system?
    The safety of students is the district's highest priority. Raptor will provide a consistent system to track visitors and volunteers while keeping away people who present a danger to students and staff.


    What information is taken from driver's licenses?
    Raptor is only scanning the visitor's name, date of birth, and photo for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. Additional visitor data will not be gathered and no data will be shared with any outside company or organization.


    Should Kennedale ISD scan every visitor into the system?
    Yes. The Raptor system is designed to track visitors. In case of an emergency, visitors can be seen in a queue if they are still on campus. If necessary in an emergency, this will help identify who is inside the building.


    Does Kennedale ISD have the right to require visitors, even parents, to produce identification before entering the campus?
    Yes. Schools need to know who is on the campuses and why they are there. We also need to be able to confirm that an individual has the authority to have access to the student (early pickup, for example). For full legal details, refer to Senate Bill 9.


    What if the person refuses to show identification?
    A campus administrator can meet with the individual and explain the process to them.


    Do registered sexual offenders have a right to enter schools?
    If a sexual offender has a legitimate reason to be on campus (e.g., visiting a legal dependent), and a court order does not prevent them from visiting the child and/or the school, then yes, the law permits them to enter a school. However, such individuals will only be given limited access. KISD cannot deny access to an individual's own child. Schools can, however, deny access to other students.

Last Modified on November 10, 2022