People who want to visit Homer Glen grade schools soon will have their IDs checked against national sex offender databases.
The Homer Community Consolidated School District 33C board heard details of the new security system at a meeting Tuesday.
In other action, the board raised student fees for the first time in nine years.
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Officials say both moves put Homer 33C on par with neighboring districts.
Schools in Orland Park already use Texas-based Raptor Technologies to run instant checks on potential visitors, who must submit a driver’s license or state ID. Homer 33C began testing the system in October at Hadley Middle School in Homer Glen and Butler elementary in Lockport.
“We decided this was a very good system,” said Hadley Principal Kristen Schroeder, who helped oversee implementation and staff training. She said it should be running smoothly in all six schools by the end of February.
The district will notify parents about the new system, which also prints paper visitor badges and can send electronic notices to administrators and police if, for instance, an incident forces a building lockdown. The system cost is about $2,000 per building.
The board also voted 5-0 to boost kindergarten enrollment fees by $40 to $150 next school year to coincide with the launch of a full-day program.
The increase is $10 for all other students, bringing the cost to $150 for first through fourth grades and $165 for fifth through eighth. The half-day early-childhood speech program fee will stay at $35 for residents but rise to $75 for nonresidents.
“The fees are comparable to surrounding districts and even with these increases would be $25 less than the average fee charged,” said John Lavelle, assistant superintendent for business.
Parents still can reap a $30 per student discount by registering by April 17 or save $15 through June 8. Lavelle said those early registrations help inform staffing decisions.
Meanwhile, Superintendent Kara Coglianese told the board progress is being made toward creating a nonprofit foundation to seek support for district programs from local business leaders.
She also wants parents to weigh in on using late starts, either instead of canceling school on bitterly cold days or to carve out staff time for professional development. Coglianese said students must be in school for five hours for the state to count it as a full day.