Visitor Management Solutions For K-12 Schools: Features You Need To Know

With the K-12 school year now in full swing, school administrators will be focused on who will be visiting the school and when. School buildings and grounds welcome numerous visitors from September onwards, but the duty of care that underpins the physical environment means that the safety of the students, teachers and staff must be a priority.

Simply put, Visitor Management Solutions for K-12 Schools are expected to be able to handle the people that are in the building or on the property for reasons that are unlikely to be related solely to education.

That requires commitment by administrators and decision makers to ensure that the visitor management system in place can effectively welcome, control and monitor non-staff members or students with the minimum amount of fuss. And while not every School Visitor Management System is the same, a proactive approach to school safety through controlled access can reduce the potential for unwelcome incidents.

The problem that school administrators face is that knowing when an unpredictable event is going to happen is logistically impossible. Being prepared is always a good state-of-mind to have, but an inability to see into the future can stymie the best intentions of those who oversee visitor management. Controlled access is only part of the puzzle, what matters is how the entire ecosystem works to reduce the chances of an unwanted visitor creating a problem.

In fact, there is a consensus in the school safety community that it is no longer about just metal detectors and sign-in sheets, rather that intelligent safety protocols that prevent incidents, protect students and the learning environment should be a minimal requirement.

With that in mind, let us take a deeper dive into what you need to know and the path you should take.

School Visitor Management Systems: The Essentials

School safety is often more than just making sure you have some sort of protocol or system in place. Incidents on school premises occur with a breathtaking regularity, and it is usually the ones that involve violence that generate media headlines.

According to Campus Safety Magazine, respondents to a survey said that 59 percent of campus security leaders would like to expand, update or replace their existing systems in the next two years, with technology that uses AI, advanced analytics and the cloud all “emerging as force multipliers for campus security teams that are stretched too thin.”

It is reasonable to suggest that school safety is rarely an isolated initiative at K-12 schools. Instead, it is part of the fabric of school culture, parental trust, and operational planning. Decision makers, therefore, are looking for smart systems that enable early intervention and, by association, foster environments where students and staff can thrive.

This is where a holistic VMS solution can plug the gaps, with key features that should include:

• Seamless Check-in and Registration
• Robust Security and Access Control
• Compliance and Data Management
• Visitor Experience and Communication
• Technical and Operational Integration

Our recent blog – What to Look For in a Visitor Management System – also covered these features in some detail, but is worth noting that a recent industry survey found that 46 percent of K-12 schools want solutions that not only integrate with their existing systems but also prioritize effectiveness and ease of use.

In addition, the survey said, 37 percent of respondents are confident that digital safety measures (real-time alerts and behavior detection) will replace existing physical safety measures (metal detectors, door locks) within the next five years.

Logically, that would likely include visitor management protocols, with the aim being to enhance overall safety and ensure that a parent, guardian, contractor, delivery driver or invited community member can be welcomed to the school and monitored while onsite. However, creating a safe environment is not always a slam dunk, which makes an effective and intuitive VMS solution a critical part of the process.

Why a Safe Environment Needs Effective VMS

Acknowledging that a modern School Visitor Management System can both alleviate community concerns and reduce the chances of an unwanted visitor gaining access to a physical location is the first step.

What is equally important is that the chosen solution ticks the visitor-centric boxes that are specific to the smooth running of a K-12 school. This means evaluating the distinct options available, especially if robust security and efficient operational features are top-of-mind.

These include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Sex Offender and Watchlist Screening
• ID Scanning and Badge Printing
• Real-Time Tracking and Digital Logs
• Emergency Management and Integration
• Custody Alerts and Student Security
• Pre-Registration and Self-Service
• Customizable Workflows
• Volunteer Management

It is obvious that not all VMS solutions are the same. The key point to remember is that a VMS should be able to manage anyone who comes to the school grounds, whether that be for a scheduled visit or an event such as sports or student concerts.

That means that a chosen solution should be flexible and easy-to-use. Concerns around K-12 school safety have inevitably created a marketplace where the effectiveness of a solution or its integration within an existing school ecosystem can vary, but Kokomo24/7®'s VMS+ is widely acknowledged as being a system that goes further than any other solution currently on the market.

The reason for this is quite simple … VMS+ is a holistic solution for managing visitors, volunteers, event attendees, tardy students, external vendors, and school employees.

As an integral part of our school safety platform, it leverages fixed and portable options, including kiosks, scanners, printers and installed software on desktop or mobile devices.

Additionally, it is a flexible system that is designed to deliver specific needs and, unlike some of our competitors, VMS+ has been built to go further than other solutions, irrespective of school size or location. This includes the opportunity for admins to run VMS+ on existing hardware, customizable check-in processes, automated workflows, portable kiosks, badge printers, and more.

For example, a recent VMS+ integration at Reeds Spring in Missouri was hailed as a “breath of fresh air” by the district, with the customer emphasizing how much simpler and more efficient the visitor management experience now was, especially when compared to the previously installed system.

A Holistic Approach to VMS … The Best Path to Take

Common wisdom tells us that ensuring school safety in 2025 is less about being prepared for the unexpected and more to do with how we identify and evaluate potential threats. And while the number of daily visitors to a school will not fall into that latter category, a VMS that can manage anybody who comes to school grounds is definitely a valuable tool to have.

Kokomo24/7® Visitor Management System Plus (VMS+) for K-12 Schools has already been recognized as a key player in the school safety space, especially in terms of reducing costs and consolidating vendors. Designed to be flexible and easy-to-use, it creates a safe environment while utilizing the deployment and scanning options that are widely used in non-school locations.

Keeping our schools safe has become a rallying call for communities across the U.S. but choosing a solution that aligns with the culture of care that K-12 schools are expected to provide should be an easy decision to make. In a society defined by unpredictability, knowing who is onsite at any one time is always a critical part of the puzzle.

To learn more about how Kokomo24/7® can improve safety and streamline visitor management workflows within your K-12 School, contact us today and ask for a demo!

About Kokomo24/7® 

Since 2018, Kokomo24/7®’s configuration-based platform has helped over 120 national and global organizations respond quickly to safety, wellness, and compliance needs. From visitor management to behavioral threat assessment and emergency alerts, Kokomo24/7® powers holistic school safety for a better everyday experience.