Visitors will be greeted by increased security measures at buildings in the Bettendorf School District beginning this school year.
Parents, volunteers and anyone else visiting a school in Bettendorf will now be required to show a government-issued identification, and sign in when they check in at the school office. Visitors will be required to wear a visitor’s badge while on campus, and must sign out at the office before leaving.
Visitors to Paul Norton, Neil Armstrong an Thomas Jefferson elementary schools will also be screened by the Raptor system, which allows school officials to verify the visitor’s identity, check the national sex offender database and check a district database for any notes concerning that visitor such as no-contact orders or other restrictions. Approved visitors will wear a printed photo ID badge issued on the spot which identifies the visitor, date and time of the visit and their destination in the school.
If the Raptor system identifies an unwanted visitor, it sends alert messages to pre-designated responders such as building administrators and security personnel so the school secretary does not have to confront the unwanted visitor.
The Raptor system is intended to identify any building visitor who is at least 12 years of age.
The new check-in procedures are part of a series of measures designed to improve security at Bettendorf schools. The main office was moved to be next to the front entrance at Bettendorf High School in March, and plans for similar changes were also in the works for Bettendorf Middle School.