Ident-A-Kid Coming to Andalusia City School System
Andalusia City Schools could soon have a new way to identify visitors and students when school starts back in two weeks.
The school system is working to bring the Ident-A-Kid Security service to all three of its campuses.
Andalusia City Schools Superintendent Ted Watson says this is one way the schools are protecting their students and staff.
“Securing that campus is the most important thing to us and so check ins, check outs have always been a big issue,” Watson says.
Using it is simple: late students will use a kiosk to check in to school. The student will input their name and reason for tardiness. A tardy slip will be printed and they will be sent to class.
“Also, if they’re excessively tardy, it sends them to the office,” Watson says.
On-campus visitors will also sign in using the system.
“The visitors passes don’t just say visitors pass- it has a picture along with that on the visitor’s pass, why they’re there, what time they got there, and they turn that pass back in so we know they’re off campus,” Watson says.
If you’re wishing to check a specific student out of school, your license will be ran through Ident-A-Kid. If the license doesn’t match a check out registry, you won’t have access to the student.
Licenses will also be ran against the National Sexual Predator Registry.
“It’s not big brother necessarily trying to keep check on people,” Watson says. “But more on the accountability type deal where we know who’s where and where they are and if we need to account for them or not.”
The cost of the security system is about $7,500.
It’s an investment Watson says will be worth every penny.
“For what we’re getting, and for the peace of mind I think that it can generate for our parents and for our teachers and for administrators, I think its a really small price to pay,” Watson says.
The security system will in place when students start back on August 5th. The system will be paid for using federal and state funds.
