News and Information

Hoover schools to run sex offender check on all visitors
Posted by Birmingham News

October 15, 2007 11:02 AM – Hoover school officials today announced a pilot security plan in which visitors to schools will have their driver's licenses swiped through a machine to see if they have been convicted of a sex offense.

The program will be tested in three Hoover schools - Green Valley and Shades Mountain elementary schools and Berry Middle School for two to four weeks before a decision is made about whether to implement the checks in all Hoover schools, said Hoover police Lt. Maurice "Mo" Canady, who oversees school security.

School secretaries will check driver's licenses for all visitors against sex offender databases. School officials have not yet decided the protocol to follow in the event they get a positive match, Canady said.

The program will cost $1,500 per school the first year and $400 per school in subsequent years, Canady said.

He described this as a proactive security measure, saying there have not been problems with sex offenders in Hoover schools.

See Tuesday's Birmingham News for more details.

Erin Stock