Pennsylvania Schools Track Visitors with New Entry System

Pennsylvania Schools Track Visitors with New Entry System

Schools in Kane, Penn., are stepping up their security when it comes to visitor management.

Schools in Kane, Penn., are stepping up their security when it comes to visitor management.

Beginning March 25, Visitors to Kane Area School District campuses will be asked by office staff to present a state driver’s license or a photo ID. School visitors who do not have an ID will be given information on how to procure one.

Staff will scan the IDs and present visitors with a printed sticker to wear, which will show their photo, time of entry and destination inside the campus. When a visitor leaves campus, they will be required to return to the office to check out with office staff before they leave the building.

In addition, a daily report will track the entrance and exit of all visitors to the schools. The digital log will replace the paper nametags currently given to school visitors while classes are in session.

“The purpose of the new system is to make schools safer for our students,” said Mark Candalor, School District Technology Director. “It’s all about the children.”

The new entry system will be installed at the Kane Area High School, the Kane Middle School, the Kane Elementary School and the administration office wing at the middle school. To prepare for the new electronic log process, the technology department is placing “welcome visitors” signs at the offices near school entry doors.

According to Candalor, the electronic log system cost the district $6,900. The district will tap a $25,000 grant it received from the state School Safety and Security Program to pay for the new system.

Assistant Technology Director Christopher Niklaus said the new system has many benefits. It checks names of visitors against a list of registered sex offenders, for example, and alerts administrators if there is a match. In addition, the system can provide alerts involving banned visitors or child custody problems by checking against a custom-made database.

The system also includes an emergency button that staff can activate if there are any problems at the front office.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

  • A.C. Camargo Cancer Center Enhances Security, Patient Care with Help from Advanced Video Surveillance

    A.C. Camargo Cancer Center, a leading oncology treatment center in São Paulo, Brazil recognized for its history of innovation, today announced that its partnership with Axis Communications has produced savings of more than $2 million over its first two years, all of which will be reinvested in patient care. A.C. Camargo has deployed more than 2,000 state-of-the-art video surveillance cameras throughout the Center’s corridors, complex care units, and parking lots, embracing a more holistic approach to security that emphasizes patient and employee safety along with improved quality of service. Read Now

  • 2025 Secure Campus Award Winners Announced

    Campus Security Today is pleased to announce the 2025 Secure Campus Award winners. Twenty companies are being recognized this year for products that help keep education and business campuses safe. Read Now

  • K-12 School Safety Trends Report Shows Training, Technology Are Saving Lives

    CENTEGIX, the industry leader and most widely adopted wearable safety technology provider for K-12 education, today released its 2025 School Safety Trends Report, the only comprehensive and data-rich analysis of school safety available in the wearable panic button market. The report identifies and outlines the top tech and legislative movements relevant to school safety in the U.S. and draws on data collected in the 2024/2025 school year through the CENTEGIX Safety Platform, including more than 265,000 incidents of CrisisAlert use. Read Now

  • Survey: Fewer Than 20 Percent of School Leaders Consider Their Main Entrance “Completely Secure”

    Singlewire Software, provider of solutions that help keep people safe and informed, releases the findings of its inaugural School Entrance Security Report, which captured responses from more than 500 school staff members across the United States. This research highlights the concerns and challenges schools are facing in securing their entrances and keeping students and staff safe from potential threats Read Now