Garrett County Public Schools will begin using the Raptor® Visitor Management system to improve school safety for students and faculty. The new ID card scanning system provides practically instant screening of visitors, contractors, and volunteers for sex offender status and custom alerts, such as custody orders. This modernized visitor sign-in system also tracks students who arrive late or leave early, as well as faculty signing in and out of the building. As a result, school officials have a more accurate head count of who’s on campus in case of an emergency.

GCPS is now among America’s safest districts when it comes to protecting students from sexual predators. The Raptor Visitor Management system currently flags over 75 sex offenders per day attempting to enter schools across the country. The system also issues a daily average of 150 custom alerts, the most common being custody issues.

Upon check-in, each first-time visitor will present their state or federal government-issued identification card. The Raptor® system scans the ID and automatically checks each person entering school grounds against the national database of registered sex offenders, as well as against a custom alert database created by each district or school. Once a visitor is cleared by the system, a visitor badge is printed that includes a photo, as well as the individual’s name, date, time of entry, and destination. If a potential threat is identified, the system sends instant alerts to designated staff including School Resource Officers, via email and text.

The Raptor system is expected to be in place at all schools by November 1, 2021. Any questions regarding the visitor management system should be directed to: clark.warnick@garrettcountyschools.org.