Dive Brief:

• Four out of five schools still use pen and paper sign-in sheets, despite the method being both antiquated and risky.
• In a new whitepaper, Raptor Technologies, a provider of digital school visitor management systems, details how the pen and paper should be phased out because of its security risks and other flaws.
• The company explains five reasons why digital sign-in is useful: Automated ID data capture, instant and automatic screening, proper display of data on visitor badges, “smart” alert notifications, and Web-based access to a rundown of who is on school grounds.

Dive Insight:

With the rise in school shootings, in addition to other security concerns, schools are looking for ways to ensure their student bodies remain safe. Pen and paper sign-in sheets can not only be easily distorted or lost, but they don't always gather all the necessary data to keep a potential threat out of the school — or, at the very least, properly identify them. One of Raptor's main focuses, for example, is keeping out sex offenders. According to the company, its tech "has flagged more than 15,000 registered sex offenders entering K-12 schools and has issued over 150,000 custodial alerts."

Recommended Reading

Raptor Technologies: Why the Visitor Sign-In Sheet Has Gone the Way of the Dinosaur