• Frequently Asked Questions about the district's visitor management system

    What is SchoolGate Guardian?
    SchoolGate Guardian is a visitor registration and management system that enhances school security by retrieving data from a visitor’s state-issued ID. The information is then locally stored database created by the district that could include parents or guardians with custody issues, restraining orders, or visitors that have had school visitation privileges revoked. The system also provides a quick accounting of all school visitors for emergency responders in the event of an evacuation.
    Why has Lower Dauphin School District implemented this visitor management system?
    The safety of our students and staff is one of our highest priorities and the SchoolGate Guardian System can provide a consistent stream of information for tracking unwanted visitors in any of our facilities. In the unlikely event an incident does occur police and other authorities will have access to these electronic visitor logs which have a photograph of the visitor as well as a date and time stamp of their entry and exit times.
    What information is the SchoolGate Guardian retrieving from the photo ID?
    The only information required to perform the proper searches are the first name, last name, date-of-birth and the photo of the visitor. Any other information on the ID is ignored by the system. None of this data will be shared with any other company or organization other than law enforcement and this will only occur in the event of an incident.
    Does every visitor that enters a facility go through the screening process?
    Yes. All first-time visitors to any school facility will be scanned by the SchoolGate Guardian System. The system does recognize return visitors and the option will be given on a time sensitive basis if another scan is necessary. The amount of time between scans is a customizable parameter set by the administrative staff.
    Does Lower Dauphin have the right to require visitors and parents to produce a state issued ID before entering school facilities?
    Yes. We need to be certain who is on our campus, what the purpose of their visit is, who they are here to see, and if they have the authority or the right to have access to our facilities and students. We can only do this by performing the appropriate checks.
    What will happen when a visitor enters the school?
    The visitor will hand a state-issued identification card to an LD staff member, who will scan the ID card through a card reader. The reader will gather necessary information from the license.
    The information will then be run through a district-maintained database. If no matches are found, the staff member will print a visitor badge that includes the visitors name, photo, reason for visit and location of visit. The badge is self-expiring, meaning that within 12 hours of printing, a red stop sign will bleed through to the front of the badge. This prevents the visitor from keeping their badge and attempting to use it for future visits.
    Upon completion of the visit, the visitor will return to the office to scan the barcode for exit and return their badge to a staff member.