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It's bad enough that anyone visiting a school while carrying will be arrested (of course, Commonwealth's Attorneys get a free pass).
But now, in Chesterfield County, the public school system has gone further by prohibiting, in effect, "sterile carry" -- you are required to have a driver's license with you when visiting Chesterfield County Public Schools, and you are required to submit that license to be scanned unto a centralized computer system, which will then be cross-referenced with various databases to see if you are some kind of criminal perhaps.
From Schools Today:
The way visitors sign in at schools is changing to allow schools to electronically register guests, monitor volunteer hours and help with the release of students. The new process, which was piloted at Hopkins Elementary, will be in place in every school before the end of the school year. The visitor check-in system and other measures help ensure the safety of students and staff members, which is one of the top goals of Chesterfield schools.
Visitors who plan an extended stay at a school will be asked to show a driver’s license, which will be scanned into a computer. Only the visitor’s name, photo and date of birth will be stored in the computer. No other personal information will be collected. The process automatically screens for registered sex offenders and others not allowed on school grounds. Visitors who do not present a driver’s license will not be allowed access to the school.
From the Chesterfield Observer:
County schools get new security checks
Having worked in law enforcement before becoming head of security for Chesterfield County Public Schools (CCPS), Tim Mallory isn't content to sit back and wait for problems to arise before taking action. "Preventive measures are the best measures in the security business," said Mallory, a former Norfolk police officer.
That's the main reason why CCPS is upgrading security at all county schools with a two-tiered plan designed to give administrators greater ability to control public-access to their buildings.
The school district's new visitor-management system, which debuted successfully as a pilot program at Hopkins Elementary School in May, is expected to be installed and operational in all county schools by the end of the 2009-10 school year.
In conjunction with that project and the installation of security cameras at main entrances, Chesterfield elementary schools also will receive new video intercom systems.
"It's kind of like going to the airport. You don't just jump on a plane, you go through checks and processes," Mallory added. "It's another layer of security that we can put in our schools."
Paid for by federal grant funding obtained by the Chesterfield County Police Department, the Web-based visitor-management system will require all first-time visitors seeking access beyond a school's main office to have either their driver's license or identification card scanned into a computer. That information will then be automatically cross-referenced against the National Sex Offender Registry.
If approved, visitors must print out a badge containing their name, picture, the date and time and where they're going within the particular school building. On subsequent visits, anyone whose ID has already been scanned into the system will only need to sign in at a second computer kiosk located in the main office, then print off a visitors' badge.
"This is going to be used for people who are going beyond the main office, to visit a classroom, to go have lunch, to participate in a class activity," Mallory said.
"Schools are semi-public places. We still have to invite you in, but now we know you're coming in versus somebody who can just come in and end up in another part of the building," he said. "You should hit the office within a minute [after being buzzed in]; if not, we know you're walking around the building."
Mallory noted that similar public-information efforts will be undertaken once CCPS determines which schools have the necessary infrastructure to be part of the visitor-management system's initial deployment.
"We want people in our schools, but we need to be able to manage that. I think it's important to know the number of people coming in, and who's coming in, especially around our children," he added. "It will take a little getting used to from some folks, but I think most people in the general public will be pleased that we're taking these measures."
==========
In summary:
Carry a gun onto school grounds, and you will be arrested;
Fail or refuse to carry a driver's license, and you will be banned from school grounds.
Going state-wide?
Is this in the spirit of Virginia's Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act?
B. The General Assembly finds that:
1. An individual's privacy is directly affected by the extensive collection, maintenance, use and dissemination of personal information;
2. The increasing use of computers and sophisticated information technology has greatly magnified the harm that can occur from these practices;
3. An individual's opportunities to secure employment, insurance, credit, and his right to due process, and other legal protections are endangered by the misuse of certain of these personal information systems; and
4. In order to preserve the rights guaranteed a citizen in a free society, legislation is necessary to establish procedures to govern information systems containing records on individuals.
It's bad enough that anyone visiting a school while carrying will be arrested (of course, Commonwealth's Attorneys get a free pass).
But now, in Chesterfield County, the public school system has gone further by prohibiting, in effect, "sterile carry" -- you are required to have a driver's license with you when visiting Chesterfield County Public Schools, and you are required to submit that license to be scanned unto a centralized computer system, which will then be cross-referenced with various databases to see if you are some kind of criminal perhaps.
From Schools Today:
The way visitors sign in at schools is changing to allow schools to electronically register guests, monitor volunteer hours and help with the release of students. The new process, which was piloted at Hopkins Elementary, will be in place in every school before the end of the school year. The visitor check-in system and other measures help ensure the safety of students and staff members, which is one of the top goals of Chesterfield schools.
Visitors who plan an extended stay at a school will be asked to show a driver’s license, which will be scanned into a computer. Only the visitor’s name, photo and date of birth will be stored in the computer. No other personal information will be collected. The process automatically screens for registered sex offenders and others not allowed on school grounds. Visitors who do not present a driver’s license will not be allowed access to the school.
From the Chesterfield Observer:
County schools get new security checks
Having worked in law enforcement before becoming head of security for Chesterfield County Public Schools (CCPS), Tim Mallory isn't content to sit back and wait for problems to arise before taking action. "Preventive measures are the best measures in the security business," said Mallory, a former Norfolk police officer.
That's the main reason why CCPS is upgrading security at all county schools with a two-tiered plan designed to give administrators greater ability to control public-access to their buildings.
The school district's new visitor-management system, which debuted successfully as a pilot program at Hopkins Elementary School in May, is expected to be installed and operational in all county schools by the end of the 2009-10 school year.
In conjunction with that project and the installation of security cameras at main entrances, Chesterfield elementary schools also will receive new video intercom systems.
"It's kind of like going to the airport. You don't just jump on a plane, you go through checks and processes," Mallory added. "It's another layer of security that we can put in our schools."
Paid for by federal grant funding obtained by the Chesterfield County Police Department, the Web-based visitor-management system will require all first-time visitors seeking access beyond a school's main office to have either their driver's license or identification card scanned into a computer. That information will then be automatically cross-referenced against the National Sex Offender Registry.
If approved, visitors must print out a badge containing their name, picture, the date and time and where they're going within the particular school building. On subsequent visits, anyone whose ID has already been scanned into the system will only need to sign in at a second computer kiosk located in the main office, then print off a visitors' badge.
"This is going to be used for people who are going beyond the main office, to visit a classroom, to go have lunch, to participate in a class activity," Mallory said.
"Schools are semi-public places. We still have to invite you in, but now we know you're coming in versus somebody who can just come in and end up in another part of the building," he said. "You should hit the office within a minute [after being buzzed in]; if not, we know you're walking around the building."
Mallory noted that similar public-information efforts will be undertaken once CCPS determines which schools have the necessary infrastructure to be part of the visitor-management system's initial deployment.
"We want people in our schools, but we need to be able to manage that. I think it's important to know the number of people coming in, and who's coming in, especially around our children," he added. "It will take a little getting used to from some folks, but I think most people in the general public will be pleased that we're taking these measures."
==========
In summary:
Carry a gun onto school grounds, and you will be arrested;
Fail or refuse to carry a driver's license, and you will be banned from school grounds.
Going state-wide?
Is this in the spirit of Virginia's Government Data Collection and Dissemination Practices Act?
B. The General Assembly finds that:
1. An individual's privacy is directly affected by the extensive collection, maintenance, use and dissemination of personal information;
2. The increasing use of computers and sophisticated information technology has greatly magnified the harm that can occur from these practices;
3. An individual's opportunities to secure employment, insurance, credit, and his right to due process, and other legal protections are endangered by the misuse of certain of these personal information systems; and
4. In order to preserve the rights guaranteed a citizen in a free society, legislation is necessary to establish procedures to govern information systems containing records on individuals.
