Information Technology Works to Keep Schools Safe
Office of Technology Applications Develops Arrivals Module

The need to maintain a safe and orderly learning environment for our students has led our schools to seek ways to track the flow of students and visitors into and out of our buildings. Though several vendor solutions are available, none had the capability of integrating fully with our existing student information systems without considerable cost to the school system.

Tasked with developing an integrated solution that would meet the needs of our schools and minimize support overhead, the Office of Technology Applications has implemented an extension to our School-Based Student Information System (SBSIS) with a new Arrivals Module. This new module utilizes the SBSIS produced bar coded student ID cards that are swiped as students enter the school, and logs their entry time and date into the system. This information is displayed on the SBSIS teacher attendance screen giving an indicator of the student’s presence in the building, and adds another tool in the schools arsenal to ensure that students are in class and on-time to receive instruction. A number of pre-formatted reports are available to administrative staff to help manage these processes. Should a student come to school without his/her ID card, the Arrivals Module will print an adhesive temporary ID card complete with the student’s picture.

The Arrivals Module is also used to manage visitors to the school building. When a visitor arrives, they register with the module and an adhesive visitor pass is generated showing the time/date and destination of the visitor. Again, a number of pre-formatted reports are available to help administrative staff know who is in the building at any given time and where they are authorized to go.

The Arrivals Module is currently being successfully piloted at Frederick Douglass and Northwestern High Schools.