Wichita school district tweaks visitor security system after long morning lines

Long lines outside some Wichita schools in the morning – mostly parents wanting to walk young children to the classroom door – have prompted the district to adjust its new Hall Pass visitor security system, officials said.

The system, which requires visitors to swipe a driver’s license and checks the names against a sex-offender database, now will begin at the start of the school day rather than 10 minutes before the day begins, said district spokeswoman Susan Arensman.

“We have had some schools with lines, which has caused some students to be late to class,” Arensman said in an e-mail.

“As we implement the system we are taking feedback from schools into consideration. … We want families to feel welcome to come to school and to be involved in their child’s education,” she said.

Over the past few weeks, schools began launching the Hall Pass visitor security system, which will be in all Wichita schools by mid-October. The system requires visitors to swipe a driver’s license, which is checked against a nationwide database of sex offenders, and then prints a dated, personalized badge for each visitor.

The system led to lines at some schools in the morning, particularly at elementary schools, where some parents are used to walking young children to their classroom doors.

Terri Moses, director of security services for the district, told school board members Monday that some new security initiatives may be “a little inconvenient” for parents and visitors, but that the measures are necessary to make schools safer.

Beginning this week, parents entering a school who plan to leave before the first bell – 9 a.m. for most elementary schools – will not have to sign in through the system, Arensman said. “Parents who intend to be in the building past the beginning of the day will be expected to scan and have a visitor badge,” she said.

Frequent visitors may request a Hall Pass key fob to make check-in easier. Visitors with key fobs don’t have to show their licenses every time, but they still must scan the key fob and get an ID badge.

People who arrive to drop off or pick up a student and will not go beyond the school office will not have to be scanned, officials said. Neither will district employees wearing an official USD 259 badge, public safety officials with badges, or employees of the YMCA, Communities in Schools, Arts Partners or First Student who wear IDs from their employers.

For more information about the Hall Pass system and a schedule of when schools will implement it, visit www.visitormanagement.usd259.org.

This story was originally published September 10, 2014 at 8:27 AM with the headline "Wichita school district tweaks visitor security system after long morning lines."