PROTECTION: The Raptor System is fully integrated into Poly High School.
by Cameron Brewer, Staff Editor
As of Thursday, November 1st, the Raptor System was officially implemented into Poly’s main office. Poly is one of only 23,000 schools all across the United States to utilize this system. The system is designed to warn students and staff should any potentially dangerous elements approach Poly.
All visitors will be required to provide an official government issued-ID to be granted access onto Poly’s campus. “We need some form of ID, some California-issued ID. What we do is we scan it, and send it through certain different databases, for registered sex offenders. So, if it pops up, then we know that person should not be on campus,” assistant principal James Vaughan described. After being cleared through the various systems, the office will print out a badge for use by the visitor to prove that they are allowed to be on campus. This repetitive screening of all visitors will hopefully dissuade any that mean harm towards the school or its students.
This system has proven very effective across the nation, and Vaughan is very optimistic about its implementation. “It’s effective in a sense that it will give us a snapshot of somebody before they come in. Better yet, it gives record of who’s coming on and off our campus, so in the event something does happen, we have the information readily available to give to law enforcement or whoever needs that,” Vaughan said. As the weeks progress, the overall effectiveness of the Raptor System will be displayed, and students will be better protected, even if they are not aware of it.