903-Visitors to School District Buildings and Sites

Rationale	Date Approved/Revised
The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for governing visits to district property and facilities and the data collected by the visitor management system in order to comply with privacy rights of individuals	11/22/11 Revised:2/27/18 Revised: 5/21/19 Revised: 5/16/23

1)   General Statement of Policy

A.            The school board encourages interest on the part of parents and community members in school programs and student activities.  The school board welcomes visits to school buildings and school property by parents and community members provided the visits are consistent with the health, education and safety of students and employees and are conducted within the procedures and requirements established by the school district.

B.            The school board reaffirms its position on the importance of maintaining a school environment that is safe for students and employees and free of activity that may be disruptive to the student learning process or employee working environment.

C.           Safety is a district priority and the district recognizes that reasonable restrictions must be placed on visits to district facilities in order to maintain a safe environment.

D.           The district values visitor privacy rights and shall protect these legal rights through policy and procedures.

2) Definitions

A.              “District Facility” is any building and grounds that is owned, leased, or operated by the district.

B.              “Visitor” means any person who enters a district facility during scheduled school hours who is not an enrolled student, a student participating in a school-sponsored event or activity, or an employee assigned to that district facility.

C.             “Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) Students”' means high school students who are enrolled part or full time in tuition-free college courses while still in high school.  PSEO courses are offered on the campus of a postsecondary institution or online

D.             “Welcome Center” is the location in the district facility, typically at the front or main office, where visitors provide identification to be pre-screened for entry, are recorded as a visitor, and receive a badge to enter the facility, typically under escort.  This is the location where visitors may also be declined entry to the district facility.

E.              “Visitor Management System” is the software utilized by the district that utilizes the visitor’s personal data to search the registered sex offender databases in all 50 U.S. states.  This system logs the visitor’s entry time, visit location/ intent, and time of  departure.

F.              “Personal Data” is the information collected by the Visitor Management System software including first and last name, last four digits of Minnesota state identification number, date  of birth, identification photo, and the identification expiration date.

3) Post-Secondary Enrollment Options Students

A.                A student enrolled in a post-secondary enrollment options course may remain at the school site during regular school hours in accordance with established procedures.

B.                A student enrolled in a post-secondary enrollment options course may be provided with reasonable access, during regular school hours, to a computer and other technology resources that the student needs to complete coursework for a post-secondary enrollment course in accordance with established procedures.

3)  Responsibility  

A.            The superintendent, or superintendent’s designee, shall be responsible for providing coordination that may be needed throughout the process and providing for periodic school board review and approval of the procedures.

4)  Visitor Limitations          

A.                All visitors and district staff not assigned to the district facility must check-in at the welcome center upon arrival and departure.  District facility exterior doors will be locked and visitors will be expected to present identification prior to entry and state the purpose of the visit. The school district retains the right to deny a visitor entry to a district facility if it is not in the best interest of students, employees or the school district.

B.                During registration, visitors will receive a visitor's badge and must wear the badge in a visible location at all times to signify their status and authorized presence in the building.  Visitors may be escorted by employees to and from their destination within the building.

C.               District employees will visibility display their district-issued identification at all times.  For work-safety, district employees required to wear district-provided uniforms may have district-issued identification on their person provided the identification is produced when asked.

D.               All visitors are to be respectful to building occupants during their visit. 

E.                Visitors are required to follow laws, rules and regulations in addition to district policies, procedures and rules while on district property. 

F.            An individual, post-secondary enrollment options student, or group may be denied permission to visit a school or school property or such permission may be revoked if the visitor(s) does not comply with the school district procedures and regulations or if the visit is not in the best interest of students, employees or the school district.

G.           Visitors, including post-secondary enrollment options student, are authorized to park vehicles on school property at times and in locations specified in the approved visitor procedures and requirements or as otherwise specifically authorized by school officials.  When unauthorized vehicles of visitors are parked on school property, school officials may:

1.            move the vehicle or require the driver or other person in charge of the vehicle to move it off school district property; or

2.            if unattended, provide for the removal of the vehicle, at the expense of the owner or operator, to the nearest convenient garage or other place of safety off of school property.

H.           An individual, post-secondary enrollment options student, or group who enters school property without complying with the procedures and requirements may be guilty of criminal trespass and thus subject to criminal penalty.  Such persons may be detained by a school administrator in a reasonable manner for a reasonable period of time pending the arrival of a police officer.

4)  Visitor Management System      

A.                District administrators and welcome center district staff will be properly trained in the use of the Visitor Management System software and Visitor Management procedures including data privacy. 

B.                Personal Data will be protected by using a unique username and password for each individual who has access to the system. The Visitor Management System utilizes firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, host integrity monitoring, and port filtering to protect all of its systems. No Personal Data is stored on-site at the district level but is stored in a nationally-recognized cloud provider utilized by the Visitor Management System provider.        

Adoption and Revision History	Incorporated Policies
Policy 903 VISITORS TO SCHOOL DISTRICT BUILDINGS AND SITES This Policy Adopted: February 24, 1998 Rescinded: November 22, 2011	Replaces policy KK (Visitors to the Schools) adopted June 28, 1979   MSBA 903
Policy E-077 VISITORS TO SCHOOL DISTRICT BUILDINGS AND SITES This Policy Adopted:  November 22, 2011, Revised:  February 27, 2018
Policy 903 VISITORS TO SCHOOL DISTRICT BUILDINGS AND SITES This Policy Revised:  May 21, 2019
Policy 903 VISITORS TO SCHOOL DISTRICT BUILDINGS AND SITES This Policy Revised:  May 16, 2023	Updates policy to include Safety, Security and Visitor Management System Data protocol.

Administrative Rule, Regulation and Procedure: Minn. Rules Chapter 1205 (Data Practices) 

 

Legal References:                Minn. Stat. Ch. 13 (Minnesota Government Data Practices Act)

                                             Minn. Stat. § 123B.02 (General Powers of Independent School Districts)

                                             Minn. Stat. § 124D.09 (Post-Secondary Enrollment Options Program)

                                             Minn. Stat. Ch. 363A  (Minnesota Human Rights Act)

Minn. Stat. § 609.605, Subd. 4 (Trespasses on School Property) 

 

Cross References:               MSBA/MASA Model Policy 306 (Code of Ethics and Behaviors)

                                              MSBA/MASA Model Policy 406 (Public and Private Personnel Data)

                                              MSBA/MASA Model Policy 429 (Respect in the Workplace)

                                              MSBA/MASA Model Policy 515 (Protection and Privacy of Pupil Records)

                                              MSBA/MASA Model Policy 532 (Use of Peace Officers and Crisis Teams to Remove                Students

                                             with IEPS from School Grounds)

                                              MSBA/MASA Model Policy 806 (Crisis Management)