Mesquite ISD has purchased a new visitor registry system to ensure that all campuses maintain a safe environment for students and employees. The new Raptor System, created by Raptor Technologies, serves as a visitor identification program that will enable campus authorities to have a heightened awareness of who is attempting to gain access to the campus. It will also track visitors and volunteers who visit their campus repeatedly. More importantly, this system tracks and compares names of all Registered Sexual Offenders (RSO) in the United States and alerts law enforcement and district/campus administration when and if an RSO attempts to enter the building.

State law allows public schools to require that all visitors present a picture identification card. Upon entering a school, a visitor will proceed to a registration desk staffed by a member of that particular school (as selected by the campus principal). The staff member will take the ID (usually a person’s driver’s license) and scan it into the Raptor system. Visitors without a valid driver’s license will be escorted to and from the desired location in the building. The ID is compared to the RSO database, along with any “private alert” information entered by campus administration (such as information pertaining to parental custodial issues). Once completed, a visitor’s badge will be issued with the person’s name and photo, the date, the time, and the destination within the building for the visit. When the visitor leaves the building, an entry will be made that the person has left the building.