Expanded LobbyGuard Adds To Moorestown School Security

MOORESTOWN, NJ — The Moorestown Public School District is expanding its use of LobbyGuard as a method to keep students safe from threats for the upcoming school year. The district has been piloting the program in the high school for the last two years, and is expanding it across the school district for the 2019-20 school year, Superintendent of Schools Scott McCartney said. It is one of the many security procedures the school district has in place to keep students safe.

School safety has been an ongoing dialogue in New Jersey for the last 20 years, but incidents sometimes pop up that remind districts that they need to remain diligent: incidents such as the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, or the more recent mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.

The district remains vigilant of what is happening in the world, but its security measures are not a response to it, McCartney said. Schools have to be proactive.

“Schools have had to be more sensitive and aware,” McCartney said. “We remind our students and staff that if they see something that’s out of place, report it. We’re more in tune with our surroundings.”

Students and staff wear identification at all times, and students who drive to school have assigned parking spots.

If someone is on a school campus who doesn’t belong there, a student reports it to the principal or member of staff. If they believe the situation is safe, that member of staff will confront the stranger. Otherwise, they contact the Moorestown Police Department and the School Resource Officer. If there’s a safety concern, a shelter-in-place is initiated until the situation can be resolved.

In addition to cameras outside the buildings, private cell phones and radios and an app, LobbyGuard provides another layer of protection. LobbyGuard was established in 2005, and was among the first companies to offer self-service sign-in kiosks, according to the company’s website. It now handles more than 1 million visitor sign-ins at school, corporate, government and medical institutions across the world.

Visitors swipe their driver’s license at a kiosk outside the building. Visitors verify if they are a parent or a guest, explain the reason for their visit, have their picture taken, then scan their license or identification card, and identify the person they are visiting. A digital signature is required. Once the registration is complete, a name tag is printed, and the person uses that name tag to enter the school.

If a visitor doesn’t have that name tag, they engage in other interactions with staff members before entering the building. The goal, McCartney said, is to make sure every person in the school is there for a specific reason.

“Parents can’t just pull up and leave their car running anymore,” McCartney said. “It takes a few more minutes, but we do it to protect the children. The layers of protection are warranted.”

There aren’t many incidents in Moorestown, and when there is, it’s usually not too serious. But there have been some incidents in the past, usually two or three times a year, McCartney said.

In one instance, an unknown couple was seen sitting in front of one of the schools. It turned out they were grandparents who arrived early and decided to sit under the tree, where it was cool. School officials explained to them that there was a waiting area they should report to, and the “incident” was resolved.

McCartney also said people will cut through the back of schools when they’re not supposed to. The first time this happens, school administrators will speak to the offenders. The second time, police are called in to address it, and the third time will require more serious police action, McCartney said.

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