The Pennsbury School District implemented the Raptor Visitor Management System in all of our school buildings, effective September 2022. The overall goal of using the Raptor Visitor Management System is to control access better to all Pennsbury School District buildings, providing enhanced protection for our students and staff. 

Questions about the Raptor Visitor Management System? Please email Laurie Ruffing, Director of Student Services, School and Community Engagement.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Raptor Visitor/Volunteer Management System?
RAPTOR is a visitor management system that enhances school safety by reading a visitor’s identification, comparing the information against a sex offender database, alerting campus administrators if a match is found or (if no match was made) printing a visitor badge that includes a photo, name of visitor, and time and date of the visit.

How does Raptor work?
Driver’s license information is compared to a database that consists of registered sex offenders from all 50 states. If a match is found, school administrators and law enforcement personnel can take appropriate steps to ensure school safety.

Why is Pennsbury School District using this system?
The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority. Raptor will provide a consistent system to track visitors and volunteers while keeping away people who may present a danger to students and staff members. Raptor quickly prints ID badges that include the photo, the name of the visitor, time, and date. These ID badges must be worn at all times on our school campuses.

What other information is the school taking from the identification/license?

RAPTOR is only scanning the visitor’s name, date of birth, partial license number, and photo for comparison with the national database of registered sex offenders. Additional visitor data will not be gathered, and no data will be shared with any outside company or organization.

Do we scan every visitor into the system, including PSD employees?

All visitors and guests to the school should be scanned into the system. PSD employees with a district-issued ID badge do not need to be scanned. Pennsbury employees undergo vigorous background checks and must obtain clearances prior to employment. Each employee receives a photo employee badge. Should an employee not have a visible employee badge, they must wear a RAPTOR badge. For employees who have their employee badge visible, no RAPTOR badge is necessary.

Do we have the right to require visitors and volunteers, even parents/guardians, to produce identification before entering our schools?
Yes. PSD school administrators are responsible for knowing who is on our campuses and why visitors are there. Our school administrators can only do this if they have accurate information, which is why our Board approved the Raptor system. In accordance with state law and PA School Code, schools have a responsibility to keep students safe while in school. Schools have the right to restrict admittance to any individual during the school day for safety reasons. Individuals who cannot or will not produce identification prior to gaining access to a school may pose a safety concern and should not be given visitors access. 

What if a person refuses to show identification?
The school office will contact the Principal in this case. The Principal will explain the policy and procedure to the individual and then make a determination about the individual’s ability to enter the campus. The building administrator and/or the local police will be contacted if an individual attempts building entry without presenting identification and receiving a RAPTOR badge. No visitor should enter the main school area, beyond the Office and Welcome Desk, without a RAPTOR badge.

If a positive match comes back indicating that the person just scanned is a registered sex offender, what happens?

Some sex offenders may be relatives of students. Normal caution will always be followed, and the designated administrator will always be contacted. School personnel using the RAPTOR system will know the protocols that are in place and will be trained on how to handle “positive hit” situations.

Will registered sex offenders and predators be given access to our schools?

Generally speaking, unless an individual is wanted by the police, as long as they have a legitimate reason to be on campus (e.g., attending an assembly), entry will be permitted with valid identification. As with all visitors, access will be limited to the intended purpose for the visit and for a limited time. Heightened security measures shall be put in place and will be under the direction of the school administrator.

Will contractors, subcontractors, and vendors be scanned upon arrival at a school building?

Contractors, subcontractors, and vendors must be scanned the same way as any visitor.

What data is collected and stored when a visitor’s ID is scanned into the Raptor system?
The Raptor scanner, located at each school office entry point, collects the ID information (photo, name, date of birth, and the first four digits of the license number only). In the event that two or more visitors have the same first name, last name, and date of birth, Raptor uses the first four digits of the license number to differentiate between them. Only the minimum data needed to accurately identify a visitor is collected (e.g., no address information, social security numbers, or physical characteristics data is collected). No other data is collected from the ID, and no photocopy of the ID is retained.

Is the data shared with any third parties? If so, which ones and which data?
No data is shared with third parties.