Middle School Rolls Out New Visitor Policy In The Caldwells

CALDWELLS, NJ — As of this week, when you sign into Grover Cleveland Middle School (GCMS) as a guest, you’ll be witnessing one of several security-related changes in the Caldwell-West Caldwell Public School District.

On Tuesday, school administrators released an advisory about new sign-in procedures for visitors at CGMS (read more below). The announcement comes just months after officials rolled out another new policy at the school: a mandatory school ID requirement for all students and staff.

• See related article: Caldwell School Now Requires Students, Faculty To Wear ID Badges

Here’s the new visitor policy at Grover Cleveland, according to school administrators:

“In an attempt to keep our students and faculty as safe as possible, we are implementing a new visitor sign-in procedure. We will be using the LOBBYGUARD kiosk located in the main entrance vestibule. Each visitor will need to provide his/her driver’s license when visiting the school for a meeting, volunteering, or signing out a child. Students will also use the system when signing in to school late. After scanning your driver’s license into the kiosk, the machine will do a background check and print out a visitor badge with your name and photo. Our office personnel will be glad to assist you as we all learn a new way to help keep our GCMS family safe.”

GCMS Principal James Brown told Patch that if someone doesn't have a driver's license, "state-issued IDs" will work. If a visitor doesn't have any form of ID, the system provides for manual entry of name and runs a check using national records and school-provided database of approved individuals.

Read more about the school’s visitation policy here.

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