In this featured piece by TAPinto, the outlet reports that Sparta schools switched to a new facial recognition visitor screening system called Visitor Aware during the second half of the school year, after their previous provider, LobbyGuard, was acquired by Raptor. Sparta Superintendent Matt Beck said the district researched alternatives after finding the transition to Raptor cumbersome and its customer support lacking, ultimately choosing Visitor Aware for its product and support. The kiosk, located in the “man traps” built into each school’s lobby, takes a photo of the visitor and checks their information, including name, date of birth, and photo, against national and international watchlists before issuing a printed nametag. The article also details the company’s data security practices, including encrypted storage and destruction of outdated photos, and notes that facial recognition use in schools is restricted or banned in several other states.
Key Takeaways
- Sparta schools switched to Visitor Aware, a facial recognition visitor screening system, after their previous provider, LobbyGuard, was acquired by Raptor.
- Superintendent Matt Beck said the district chose Visitor Aware after finding the transition to Raptor cumbersome and its customer support lacking.
- The system checks visitor information, including name, date of birth, state, and sex, against the national sex offender registry as well as watchlists including FBI Most Wanted and Interpol Most Wanted.
- Visitor Aware does not check national crime databases, active warrants, criminal history, civil records, or immigration enforcement records.
- New York, Florida, and Colorado restrict or ban the use of facial recognition technology in public schools, while Illinois has statutory requirements governing its deployment.
Original Story
The Sparta schools changed the security system that screens visitors in the second half of the school year. The new system uses facial recognition to identify people seeking to enter the building, other than staff and students.
The previous system, LobbyGuard, was purchased by Raptor, leading the district to change providers, according to Sparta Superintendent, Matt Beck.
“The process of converting from LobbyGuard to Raptor was quite cumbersome and the customer support at Raptor left much to be desired. As a result, we researched other products and were quite pleased with Visitor Aware’s product and customer support,” Beck said.