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FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — Frequent visitors to Fort Wayne schools would no longer have to be buzzed in or sign a ledger under a new barcode scanner system being rolled out early next year.
The Journal Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/1EGJk3W ) that Fort Wayne Community Schools began using the system at its administration building in April and plans to eventually install it in all school buildings.
Regular visitors who complete an online background check will be issued ID badges that they will scan to gain entry. Occasional visitors will need to wave a driver's license over a scanner, which will allow a computer to do a national search to determine whether the user is a registered sex offender anywhere in the nation or has been banned from that building, said Mike McCarty, CEO of Safe Hiring Solutions, which developed the system in conjunction with Rose Hulman Institute of Technology students.
The system then prints an ID badge and logs the time of entry. Visitors scan the badge when they leave.
Schools spokeswoman Krista Stockman said the system can be customized to fit the district's needs.
"Someone may not have anything in their background, but because of their behavior on our property, we can ban them," Stockman said.
Currently, visitors use a buzzer system that requires a front desk employee to open the door mechanically, she said. The new system could be used to eliminate that system.
Stockman said eight of about 50 buildings designated for the new barcode scanner system will be in place by January. The rest will be phased in.
The system is already being used in Hobart in northwestern Indiana.
McCarty said background checks are performed by a Danville company that already handles such checks for about 240 Indiana school districts.
The system can track visitors over a period of time. There is also a panic button that can be used for lockdowns or other dangerous situations, McCarty said.
Eventually, the system will be able to check people in through an app on an iPhone or tablet, he said.
The software will cost the district about $6,000 a year. Scanners, printers and labels will be additional.
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Information from: The Journal Gazette, http://www.journalgazette.net
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