Raptor Technologies’ V-Soft Visitor Identification
The Boyertown Area School District and School Board has approved the purchase and installation of Raptor Technologies’ V-Soft visitor identification program. This system will be used at all 10 school locations in the district and will be in full operation beginning August 27, 2014. Robust in application, this system will enable building principals to gain a better understanding of who is attempting to gain access to the school, as well as to track those visitors and volunteers who routinely visit their building. Most notably, this system tracks all Registered Sexual Offenders (RSO) in the United States and alerts district/building administration when and if an RSO attempts to gain entry.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, there are an estimated 603,000 RSOs in the U.S. Of this number, an estimated 100,000 are absconded; meaning, they are unaccounted for and missing. The V-Soft system tracks all RSOs better than any other similar system in existence today. As an example, consider the following situation: Should an RSO live in New York and move to another state, assuming the RSO notified New York of his/her move, that state, in time, would delete the RSO’s name from their database. That person could then move to Pennsylvania, establish a residence without registering as an RSO, and then attempt to gain access into one of our schools. With Raptor’s V-Soft system, once a person enters their database as an RSO, that person is never deleted from the system. In our example then, if the RSO attempted to gain access at one of our schools, V-Soft would identify the person as an RSO. Law enforcement could be notified and legal action taken.
Parents should access the website at http://www.city-data.com/so/so-Boyertown-Pennsylvania.html for information pertaining to any known RSOs residing within the City of Boyertown. If any of these RSOs should attempt access into our schools, the V-Soft system will identify them. Our protocol calls for an administrator to speak with the person. If the person has legitimate business in the school, escorted and limited access may be granted.
This system will identify all visitors to a building. State law allows public schools to require that all visitors present a picture identification card. Upon entering a school, a visitor will proceed to a registration desk staffed by a member of that particular school (as selected by the building principal). The staff member will take the ID (usually a person’s driver license) and scan it into the V-Soft system. The ID is compared to the RSO database, along with any “private alert” information entered by building administration (such as information pertaining to parental custodial issues). Once completed, a visitor’s badge will be issued with the person’s name and photo, the day’s date, the time, and the destination within the building for the visit. When the visitor leaves the building, an entry will be made that the person has left the building.
The motivation behind the move to use the system is to continue to provide a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community visitors.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. How does the system work?
Our visitors present a valid state or government issued photo identification card to the school’s receptionist. This ID is scanned into the V-Soft system and the personal information from the ID is cross-referenced against names of Registered Sexual Offenders (RSO) in a database maintained by Raptor Technologies, Inc. Within moments, the secretary will know if the visitor is an RSO. If this is the case, Administration will intervene to address the request to visit our school. No individuals who are registered offenders will be able to enter the school outside of the school office. In most cases, there will be no offender information; then, the V-Soft system will print out a visitor’s pass which includes the person’s name, photo, date of visit, and destination within the building.
2. Who manufactures the V-Soft system?
Raptor Technologies, Inc. is the manufacturer of this system. You can learn more about the company at http://www.raptorware.com/.
3. If a person is identified by V-Soft as an RSO, will that person be allowed into our schools?
If the system identifies a person as an RSO, the Principal of the school and other senior district administrators, will immediately receive an alert message from V-Soft on their cell phone via text message and e-mail. The Principal would invite the person into a private office to understand the need for the visit. Individuals who are registered as offenders will not be able to enter the school outside of the main office.
4. What types of identification are acceptable to be used in the V-Soft system?
The following IDs are known to work within the system: Pennsylvania Driver License; State ID Card; Concealed Handgun License; Military ID; Government ID; Mexico Driver License; Mexico Consulate ID; Canada Driver License; and, Alien Registration Receipt Cards. This list is not meant to be exhaustive, or to exclude other forms of valid state or government issued photo identification cards. If another form of ID is presented, we will evaluate its use for the V-Soft system.
5. If I show my Pennsylvania Driver License, does Raptor maintain a picture of my license in its database?
No, Raptor only keeps the identifying information from the license, such as name, date of birth, photo, and address; once obtained, it discards the picture of the license. Raptor also keeps the Drivers License number in the event law enforcement should need assistance in identifying a visitor to our building. If a person rejects to allowing Raptor to maintain the DL number, an alternate form of photo identification can be used. Please refer to number 4, above, for acceptable forms of identification.
6. Do I have to present my photo ID each time I enter a school?
A visitor will need to present the photo ID on the initial visit at each school visited. With subsequent visits, the receptionist will simply enter your name; other pertinent information will be displayed from the system’s memory. It is important to note that even though a visitor does not have to provide the photo ID with subsequent visits to the same school, before a visitor’s pass is printed out the V-Soft system will check the name against its updated database of Registered Sexual Offenders. It is also important to remember that if, for any reason, announced or not, a principal wants to require photo ID for all visitors, this will be strictly enforced.
7. What if I don’t have a district-approved photo ID; can I still get into the school?
It depends on the purpose of your visit. A building administrator will evaluate the purpose for the visit and make a determination. If granted, the visit will be monitored and limited solely to the area where you need to go. Before entering the school, you will be asked to provide your first and last name, as well as your date of birth; this information will be manually entered into the V-Soft system and scanned against the RSO database. Assuming clearance, a visitor’s pass will be issued.
8. What if a vendor or contractor attempts to gain entrance and is found to be on the Registered Sexual Offender list; will he be given access to the school?
No. He will be directed to contact the building Principal for further instructions.
9. What about delivery trucks who deliver to the kitchen dock; will those people have to go through the V-Soft system?
No, unless they have a need to go beyond the kitchen area; then they would be escorted by kitchen staff to the front office to go through the system.
10. What if I just need to drop off something for my child at the front office; would I need to go through the system?
Any and all visitors who will interact with any students, for whatever reason, will be entered into the system. If a parent should simply drop off something for the student without interacting with him/her, then the parent would not be entered into the system.
11. What about after-school events that are held in the school?
For evening events that are open to the public we will not be using the system. Administration, staff, and security personnel work together to provide supervision of evening events.
12. What if I’m on the Registered Sexual Offender list; can I expect to interact with my child in educating him/her?
Yes, assuming you do not have a court-order restricting access into the school. You will need to check in with the receptionist upon arrival. A school administrator will visit with you to confirm the purpose of your visit. After this, you should expect that your visit will be limited and monitored in its entirety.
