Photo identification now a requirement for school visits

Published 12:00 am Saturday, March 21, 2015

If you’re heading to a Rowan-Salisbury school, make sure you bring your photo identification along.

At its February business meeting, the school board passed a resolution that requires school visitors to show photo identification in order to be admitted into a Rowan-Salisbury school.

“It’s important for the safety of our students,” said Assistant Superintendent of Operations Anthony Vann. The identification card will be run through a visitor management system, which “does a nationwide search for sex offenders.”

“There are multiple identifications we accept,” Vann added.

Visitors can use a state-issued driver’s license or photo identification card, matricula consular, work authorization card, border crossing card, permanent resident card, passport or visitor’s visa.

Since the policy was implemented at the beginning of March, several sex offenders have been identified and prevented from entering local schools, including a vendor.

If a parent doesn’t have one of those forms of identification, they can still pick up their children from school, but they won’t be able to interact with other students or go into the classrooms.

Visitors are not allowed to bring alcoholic beverages, tobacco and smoking products, weapons or explosives on a school campus. Sex offenders are not allowed on campus.