In the September newsletter, we provide a list of the ways that D102 is engaging in safety and security upgrades to our buildings and administrative practices. We are pleased to report that all of our plans are on schedule, including the additional security cameras on the exteriors of our buildings, adding double buzzer entrance systems in all of our facilities, reinforcing first-floor windows, and supplying emergency supplies to all of our classrooms in the unlikely event of either an intruder or the need to evacuate. We want to thank the Board of Education and our community for their vigilance and patience as we continue to improve our security practices in D102.
In addition to these structural upgrades and the regular training of staff, we are making two additional changes at the beginning of November in our front offices during the school day:
Each building will be adding a digital visitor management system called Safe Visitor. This fast check-in system requires that all parents/guardians and community members bring a Drivers License or State ID when they come to the school building as a visitor or when they are checking out their child during the school day. The before and after school drop off/ pick up process is staying the same. The Safe Visitor system will check all visitors against a criminal and sex offender database and our internal PowerSchool system to identify individuals who should not be allowed in our buildings or picking up children. The entire check-in process takes less than a minute, and each front office staff member is receiving training on the system this month. Reminders and more detailed information will come directly from your child's school.
If your child’s school currently has an Open Campus lunch option, starting November 1, we will require that a parent physically come to the school to check their child out during lunch. In the interest of safety and security, we must maintain a more accurate and parent-supported system for students leaving our campuses during lunchtime. This change does not limit students from leaving campus for lunch, but it does require that a parent come to the school to check their children out of the school building.