Visitors on School Premises

Upon entering campus, visitors will be directed to the main office to sign in.  Visitors will hand their identification to the receptionist who will scan the ID through the Hall Pass system. The visitors' identification will stay with the receptionist until the visitor exits the building.  A visitor’s badge with the ID photo will be printed when the visitor is cleared.  This visitor’s badge must be worn while on campus and returned to the office upon leaving.

The following forms of identification are accepted.

• Valid Driver’s License (U.S., Mexico or Canada)

• State-Issued Identification (U.S.)

• Immigration Visa

• Green Card

• Passport

• Consular Identification

• Concealed Handgun License

The following are some of the more frequently asked questions regarding the Hall Pass tracking system.

How does the system work?

Our visitors present a valid state or government issued photo identification card to the school’s receptionist.  This ID is scanned into the Hall Pass system and the personal information from the ID is cross-referenced against names of Registered Sex Offenders (RSO) in a database maintained by Hall Pass.  Within moments, the receptionist will know if the visitor is an RSO.  If this is the case then guidelines are in place to determine the nature of the visit to school.  If the visitor is not an RSO, Hall Pass will print a visitor’s badge with the person’s name, photo, date of visit and destination within the building. 

Why is College Station ISD using this system?

The safety of our students and staff is the highest priority in CSISD.  Hall Pass provides a consistent system to track visitors while identifying people who represent a danger to students and staff members.  The system quickly scans and prints visitor badges that include a photo, the name of the visitor, the date, time and destination on the campus.

What if I can’t provide the listed identification?

A campus administrator will evaluate the purpose for the visit and make a determination.  If the visit is allowed, the visitor will provide the school with his or her first and last name and date of birth.  This information will be manually entered into the system to check the RSO database.  

What authority does the district have to require identification?

Section 37.105 of the Texas Education Code reads

“The board of trustees of a school district or its authorized representative may refuse to allow a person without legitimate business to enter on property under the board's control and may eject any undesirable person from the property on the person's refusal to leave peaceably on request.  Identification may be required of any person on the property.”

Section 38.022 of the Texas Education Code states:

(a)  A school district may require a person who enters a district campus to display the person's driver's license or another form of identification containing the person's photograph issued by a governmental entity.  

(b)  A school district may establish an electronic database for the purpose of storing information concerning visitors to district campuses.  Information stored in the electronic database may be used only for the purpose of school district security and may not be sold or otherwise disseminated to a third party for any purpose.  

(c)  A school district may verify whether a visitor to a district campus is a sex offender registered with the computerized central database maintained by the Department of Public Safety as provided by Article 62.005, Code of Criminal Procedure, or any other database accessible by the district. 

(d)  The board of trustees of a school district shall adopt a policy regarding the action to be taken by the administration of a school campus when a visitor is identified as a sex offender.

What information is collected and how is it stored?

The only information that is collected from the driver’s license or state ID card is the first name, last name, date of birth, picture and the first four digits of the license number.  No other information is collected. 

This is not a criminal background search; therefore, no other criminal information (traffic tickets, warrants, etc.) is searched or provided.  The system does not access any private information such as bank accounts or financial information.  The data collected is solely to determine if the visitor is a registered sex offender.

Do I need to be concerned about privacy?

The data collected is exclusively for the use of the school, school district, and law enforcement only.  This information is NOT sold or shared with any outside sources.

All information gathered by the Hall Pass system will be kept for three years then will be destroyed.

Do I have to present a photo ID each time I enter a school?

Yes.  At their discretion, campus administrators may allow the information to be entered manually up to twice per year.  Even when the information is entered manually, the RSO database is still being checked every time.

What if I need to just drop something off for my child at the front office?  Would I need to go through the system?

If a parent should simply drop something off for a student in the front office and not interact with students, the parent would not be required to be entered in the system.

Will I need to use the system to sign my student out of school?

Yes. When signing out a student from school, the parent will need to present an approved ID.  

If a person is identified by Hall Pass as an RSO, will that person be allowed into school?

If the system identifies a visitor as an RSO, campus administration, school resource officers and/or district administrators will be immediately notified by Hall Pass.  Campus administrators will visit privately with the visitor to determine the nature of the visit.  If administrators agree to the visit, the visitor will receive a visitor’s badge and be escorted to his or her destination or have the student brought to them.  The entire visit would be closely monitored.

Parents and guardians, even if they are registered sex offenders, have a right of access to their dependents.  The school will limit the visitor’s access to other students.  

Are there “false hits” with this system, and how are they handled?

Every once in a while, a legitimate visitor will have the same name and birth year as an RSO.  When a potential hit comes through the system, a screen will show the picture from the visitor’s ID and the picture of the registered sex offender from the RSO database.  The employee will be asked to verify if the person at school is the same as the person in the system.  If that visitor is not the same individual from the RSO database, the visit will proceed normally.  

If I show my Texas Driver’s License, does Hall Pass keep a copy of my license in its database?

No.  Hall Pass only keeps the identifying information from the license, such as the name, date of birth, the first four digits of the DL number, and picture.  No address or any other information is stored.

What about contractors and vendors who work on campus?

Vendors and contractors who routinely work with our campuses and staffs are cleared through the Facilities office prior to their work on campuses.  All other vendors and contractors who would enter schools farther than the front office would be subject to these guidelines for visitors.