The Madison School District is increasing its security measures beginning this fall with new software that screens visitors and volunteers looking to enter schools.
The software, which is run by Madison-based company Singlewire Software, works by taking visitor IDs and using facial recognition technology to screen against sex offender databases, government watchlists and active legal injunctions. Visitors check in through an iPad at a self-service kiosk.
Any issues are flagged for staff, and approved guests are given a printed badge.
The district will pay $177,000 for the software over three years, district spokesperson Ian Folger said.
“There is no higher priority for us, as a district, than ensuring that everyone who learns, teaches and works in our buildings is safe,” Folger said in a prepared statement. “Visitor management is a crucial component of our comprehensive approach to security, as it allows us to control and monitor who gains access to our schools.”
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Singlewire acquired the screening technology in January 2023, company spokesperson Chris Swietlik said. Madison schools already use a Singlewire system to send out mass notifications when safety incidents occur.
“The mass notification of incident management is sort of when an incident is already happening,” Swietlik said. “The visitor management component helps get ahead of that.”
Secure entrances and visitor screening protocols are becoming increasingly common in schools to prevent safety incidents and increase security. Visitor management software is frequently recommended as a best practice, including in the Department of Justice’s 2019 school safety framework.
Swietlik said the visitor screening software is used by more than 100 other schools nationwide, including schools in Waunakee, Monona Grove, McFarland and Oregon.