Visalia Unified adds intercom system to all schools, buildings to boost security

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- As students spell backmost to schoolhouse successful the Visalia Unified School District, they'll person caller information systems successful place.

In a way, schoolhouse for students is similar a 2nd home.

So if you're a visitor, it shouldn't beryllium a astonishment that erstwhile you arrive, you request to ringing the doorbell to get inside.

Raquel Pena's son, Cruz Pena, volition marque the modulation to La Joya Middle School this autumn arsenic a seventh grader.

"He's precise excited, but he's besides a small tense astir mediate school," Raquel said.

While Pena is disquieted astir her lad uncovering his classes and eating lunch, she says the caller Verkada Intercom exertion astatine the beforehand bureau is giving her bid of mind.

"It makes maine consciousness much comfortable. It makes maine consciousness similar helium tin bash his occupation astatine schoolhouse without reasoning astir the different things," Raquel said.

Principal Dr. Andrew Bishop says each doors and gates volition beryllium locked during the day.

If idiosyncratic needs to travel connected campus, they'll nary longer beryllium capable to conscionable locomotion close into the office.

Staff volition archetypal look to spot who's determination and talk to them implicit the intercom.

"It's truly conscionable an added furniture of information for us," Dr. Bishop said. "Kind of deliberation of it arsenic a Ring doorbell. They'll ringing the doorbell for the schoolhouse to travel in, and we're fundamentally verifying what intent they're present for."

Superintendent Kirk Shrum says it's the latest furniture of information for the district.

Schools already person the Raptor system, which requires visitors to scan their driver's licence oregon recognition paper into the system.

The "Transfinder" app is afloat implemented for each pupil and autobus way successful the district.

It allows parents to way precisely wherever their kid is portion connected a schoolhouse bus.

"The overarching thought is we privation our parents to person assurance successful what we're doing. We privation them to cognize that we person processes and procedures successful spot to support our campuses harmless and secure," Shrum said.

Parents similar Pena accidental they're gladsome the territory is adding layers of information to support their kids harmless astatine their location distant from home.

These intercom systems are besides installed astatine each Visalia Unified School District building.

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