An Apache Junction school will soon start running background checks on visitors to the campus.
“My first job is to ensure the safety of everybody,” said Principal Frank Stirpe of Imagine Prep Superstition.
The school recently purchased a LobbyGuard kiosk that will run driver’s licenses against a criminal and sex offender database. Visitors will use the machine to print off a pass, showing their name, photo, and purpose of the visit.
Stirpe said the machine cost the school around $5,000 and was paid for by a donation from parents Renee and Robert Schroeder.
“I just hope that it sets a trend, it’s about the parents and the school working together,” Robert Schroeder told ABC15.
“I understand not everybody can just donate their hard earned money, but there are other things you can do.”
Imagine Prep has around 550 students in grades 6-12. Stirpe said they are hoping to have the machine up and running by the end of the school year.
A LobbyGuard spokesperson said some campuses in the Balsz School District are using the machines. Districts in Tucson and Flagstaff are also looking at purchasing the systems.
