Downers Grove District 58 schools add Raptor visitor system to screen for sex offenders

As part of ongoing efforts to enhance safety and security, Downers Grove Grade School District 58 is installing a Raptor Visitor Management system in all 13 of its schools beginning April 3.

Raptor scans a person’s driver’s license or state ID and compares that information to a sex offender database. It alerts the school if a match is found, according to a news release.

“The Raptor system will strengthen our program of campus safety for students and faculty,” Superintendent Kevin Russell said in the release, noting the district takes an all-of-the-above approach to safety and security for its students and staff.

The Raptor system will allow the schools to screen visitors, contractors and volunteers in the buildings and provide a safer environment for students and staff. When visitors arrive, staff will ask them to provide a state or other ID to be scanned into the Raptor system. It will compare the ID with a database of sex offenders. If the visitor is approved, it will print out a badge for visitors to wear while they are in the building or on school grounds. The badge identifies the visitor, the date and the purpose of the guest’s visit, according to the release.

If a parent or guardian does not have a U.S. government-issued ID, the school staff member can use another form of identification and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor system.

A visitor’s badge will not be necessary for those who drop off or pick up an item in the office.

Assistant Superintendent of Technology James Eichmiller said the Raptor system presents another level for staff, students and parents in the community to feel that the district is doing everything possible to keep students and staff safe, according to the release.

“The safety of our students is our highest priority, and this is one more tool to help us do that,” Eichmiller said in the release, thanking parents in advance for their understanding and support as the schools establish new building protocols after spring break.