All schools in the Monroe Public Schools district will have a state-of-the art visitor management system in place when school resumes in the fall, thanks to action Wednesday night by the Monroe Public Schools Board of Education.

     “We had been planning on implementing this in the future but we moved our time-table up after recent events in one of our schools,” said Monroe Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Barry Martin.

     The board approved spending $33,556.04 to purchase the hardware, software and the required licenses for the new system.  The purchase is being made through two cooperatives which lowers the price the district pays.  Included in the purchase are the visitor management software, badge printers, badges, bar code readers, computers for the entry kiosks and scanners for 11 school buildings.

     By scanning a person’s driver’s license or state identification card, the system can tell immediately if it is okay to allow the person to enter the building.  If it identifies the person as safe to enter, it automatically prints out a valid visitor identification card in the office.  That ID is then worn in the school by the visitor.

     In the last several years, Monroe Public Schools has improved security at all of its school buildings, adding such elements as inside and outside security cameras which can be monitored from off-campus.  Outdoor lighting has been improved in many district parking lots, too.

     “The visitor management system will significantly change how people enter our school buildings during the day.  However, a number of parents we have talked to said they are willing to work with us on this because it provides an added layer of security and safety for their children when they are in school with us,” Dr. Martin said.  “Two of our top priorities are ensuring the safety and security of our students.  This visitor management system helps us to improve our efforts toward that end.”

Written by Bobb Vergiels