Berkley School District screens every visitor against national sex-offender databases before issuing a badge to enter a school building, the district said in its Safe Schools Week update Thursday, Oct. 22.

The district uses the Raptor Visitor Management System in all buildings, according to the district’s Safe Schools Week post. First-time visitors must present a government-issued photo ID at the front office. Raptor checks the visitor’s name and date of birth against a number of national databases to identify anyone on the registered sex-offender list. The district said visitor information is not shared with outside agencies.

Once cleared, visitors receive a printed badge showing their photo, the date and the purpose of their visit. Returning visitors still check in through Raptor but do not need to scan their ID again. All guests must sign out at the office before leaving.

Volunteer background checks

Parents who want to volunteer in classrooms or chaperone field trips must complete a Volunteer Release Form and pass a background check. The district said forms must be submitted every year and can take up to three weeks to process.

Anyone with a felony conviction is barred from volunteering, according to the district.

Chaperones on overnight trips face additional screening. The district requires fingerprinting for overnight chaperones, such as those on the eighth-grade Washington, D.C., trip. The district describes this as a nationwide criminal-history check in addition to screening against the sex-offender registry.

The district is also moving away from volunteer drivers and shifting to bus-only transportation for school-sponsored functions.

Staff screening and CPR training

All employees, whether hired directly by Berkley School District or through staffing agency EduStaff, must complete a background check and fingerprinting before starting work. The district uses a statewide fingerprinting database. The district said the state alerts the superintendent about arrests of current employees through that system, regardless of when they were hired.

Principals, secretaries, coaches, custodians and most teachers are CPR-trained every two years, the district said. That training includes instruction on automated external defibrillators (AEDs), which are installed in all district buildings.

Safe Schools Week context

The Oct. 22 post was the fourth daily installment of Safe Schools Week, which runs Oct. 19–23. Superintendent Scott Francis said in an Oct. 18 letter launching the week that the district sends families a safety-related email each evening at 6 p.m. His letter also discussed the district’s new Standard Response Protocol for emergencies.

The district said its Friday, Oct. 23, message would cover mental wellness and responses to student conflict.