In this featured piece by Fox 47, the outlet reports on the Madison Metropolitan School District’s rollout of Visitor Aware, facial recognition software from Madison-based Singlewire Software, at its school entrances. The system identifies visitors and cross-references their identities with government watchlists, sex offender registries, and other legal databases. Terry Swanson, president and CEO of Singlewire Software, said the technology lets teachers, students, and staff feel confident that anyone entering the building has been screened. Gina Aguglia, director of cross systems and critical response for MMSD, said the system also gives the district a quick, accurate headcount in the event of an emergency, and the district will continue working with families to pre-register through existing systems even as paper sign-in sheets are phased out.
Key Takeaways
- The Madison Metropolitan School District is implementing Visitor Aware, facial recognition software from Singlewire Software, at its school entrances.
- Visitor Aware cross-references visitor identities with government watchlists, sex offender registries, and other legal databases.
- Gina Aguglia, MMSD’s director of cross systems and critical response, said the system gives the district a quick, accurate headcount of everyone in a building during an emergency.
- Funding for the system comes from the district’s technology department and is largely supported by a federal grant, with the district paying $177,000 over three years.
- Visitor Aware is one component of a broader district safety and security plan modeled on the Department of Justice’s school safety framework.
Original Story
MMSD safety officials say aside from the identification features, the technology will allow schools to keep a headcount in case of an emergency.
“Should there be an emergency, we have a quick, accurate description of everybody in our building,” said Gina Aguglia, director of cross systems and critical response. “So that we can account for individuals quickly and assess safety more accurately.”
Aguglia says while Visitor Aware will replace paper and pencil sign-in sheets, it won’t replace systems already in place for MMSD families.
“Even though those things are going to be cross-referenced, what we will be doing at our schools is working with families to pre-register into our system,” she said.