EDMOND —
Edmond Public Schools already is doing much of what a bill filed by a state senator would require all public elementary schools to do.
Senate Bill 64, authored by state Sen. Earl Garrison, D-Muskogee, would create a new law requiring each school to compile and maintain a roster of persons permitted to obtain the release of a student in kindergarten through eighth grade.
A list of persons permitted to obtain the release of the student would be obtained from the student’s parents or guardian when the student is enrolled.
Under the legislation, a student would not be released to any person unless they are identified on the school roster and they present a state-issued photo ID card verifying their identity.
Also, the parents or guardian of the student would be required to notify the school of all changes to child custody including but not limited to child custody agreements pursuant to a divorce decree.
If passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the governor, the bill would become effective July 1.
Garrison, the retired superintendent of Indian Capital Technology Center who serves on the Senate Education Committee, said he knows many school districts already have such policies in place, but Oklahoma’s system is not well defined. The bill would standardize it and prevent the unauthorized pick-up of students, he said.
Garrison said there would be no cost to implement the bill. Most people he’s spoken with about it favor it while some think school districts are already doing enough, he said.
“I’d rather err on the side of too much safety for our children,” Garrison said.
Lynne Rowley, executive director of elementary education, said Edmond Public Schools already keeps a record in compliance with the language in the bill for students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
The district seeks to take every possible measure it can to keep students safe, Rowley said.
“It’s a procedure that’s been in place,” she said.
When a student is enrolled in the district, the enrollment form includes parent or guardian contact information, and space for up to four contacts, Rowley said.
During school hours visitors must go first directly to the office where they sign in and out, Rowley said. If employees are not familiar with a parent or guardian they will ask for a photo ID, she said.
All visitor badges or stickers must be easily identifiable by building staff as a visitor badge, according to district policy. The badges are good for one day only.
Employees are instructed to escort any visitor found in the building without a visitor badge to the office to sign in, according to district policy. Employees should not accept visitors into their classroom or work areas who have not checked in at the office.
Log sheets are reviewed daily to ensure all guests have signed out, according to district policy. And safety officers conduct spot inspections to ensure that visitor procedure is being followed.
SCHOOLS TO GET ‘LOBBY GUARDS’
A new system is expected to further tighten security at the city’s public schools.
A LobbyGuard kiosk has been installed at Orvis Risner Elementary School, and by the end of the year Edmond’s elementary schools, middle schools, high schools and other sites will also have the visitor management system, said Associate Superintendent Bret Towne.
Towne said he believes Edmond is the first school district in the Oklahoma City metro area to install the system. It will add another layer of security to help prevent persons prohibited from accessing school buildings from doing so, he said. For example, it would ID a registered sex offender, he said.
Towne said $200,000 from the recently passed bond designated for security will pay for the system. He said the money is scheduled to be available in July and LobbyGuard kiosks should be at all schools by a couple of months into the fall semester.
The kiosks incorporate a touch-screen interface, camera, driver’s license scanner, barcode scanner and visitor badge printer to provide the user with a complete method for signing in and out, according to information on the LobbyGuard Solutions Web site.
The software system is designed to account for and screen thousands of visitors, contractors and others who pass through school doors. It allows for quick visitor check-in, instant background checking and volunteer registration. It also gives school personnel instant access to information regarding parental custody for each parent and student, eliminating questions about who has the right to pick up students.
A sticker on a window at the main entrance at Orvis Risner directs visitors to the main office where the school’s LobbyGuard is located.
Orvis Risner Principal Paula Carlile said the school, which now has about 700 students, has had its LobbyGuard for about 4 years. A Homeland Security grant paid for the kiosk and lock-out doors in the main entrance lobby, she said. The cost for the kiosk was not immediately available.
Carlile said parents understand what the LobbyGuard is about and “love it.” Visitors coming to pick up a child don’t have to use the kiosk, but they do have to remain in the main office, she said.
marks@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 108
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Related Photos
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MARK SCHLACHTENHAUFEN | THE EDMOND SUN A LobbyGuard kiosk stands in the main office of Orvis Risner Elementary School. Users manually enter information or may have their driver's license scanned. The kiosk runs an instant background check and prints out a tag with the visitor's name, photo and reason they are there. By the end of the year, all Edmond schools will have the kiosk.
Discussion
Edmond schools ahead of Legislature on student bill
First school receives ‘LobbyGuard’
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