ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. — Orangeburg County School District has introduced a new visitor sign-in process for schools this school year. The new sign-in system is known as School Pass.
School Pass is a digital process that requires a visitor to use a driver's license. Upon completion of check-in, the system issues a temporary visitor sticker that shows the name and a picture.
Jasmine Stokes is an Orangeburg County parent who believes this extra security measure will make a difference.
“There’s a lot of crazy people out there that will disguise themselves as contractors or teachers or anything just to get to kids," Stokes said. "So I feel like that’s a great step.”
Martha Hartzog is a grandmother to three students in the district and believes this new sign-in prcess brings peace of mind.
“The school is much safer by doing this, and the parents don’t have to be as worried because they are at school," Hartzog said. "That’s home away from home, and they are at school more than they are at home.”
After their visit, guests are required to return to the digital station to sign out, using their generated pin.
In a statement, Orangeburg district officials said:
“While the security of our students is our top priority, we're also committed to ensuring that our campuses remain welcoming to parents, guardians, and community members. The new system is designed to strike a balance between these two goals.”
Another additional security feature in this new check-in process is a background check. If the background check indicates a visitor is not deemed fit to be on a school campus, it will immediately inform school employees and that visitor will not be given access to the rest of the building.
Prior to this digital sign-in system, schools in Orangeburg County had visitors sign in on paper.