News and Information

Protecting students from sex offenders
KOKI, fox 23 Tulsa, Abbie Alford

(TULSA, Okla.) October 22 - A local school district is taking extra measures to keep sexual predators away from kids.

The new technology was unveiled today in the Union School District. Darnaby and Boevers elementary schools and the eighth grade center all have tighter security.

Before walking into the hallways at Darnaby, a person has to show ID. They'll scan the ID for any red flags. They can even do this with out-of-state licenses. Once the guest is cleared, they are given a badge and can walk the hallways.

“It gives me security in my heart knowing that my child is taken care of", says Miriam Miller, mother of a kindergartner.

Darnaby now screens everyone who walks through the door to see if they're a sex offender.

"Every time someone swipes that drivers license, it goes into a national database. And that shoots out ‘this person is okay’, ‘this person, there's a hit’", says Darnaby principal Tom Carson.

If there's a red flag, you can't walk beyond the hallway and you can't get a badge.

"It's vital in order to keep and maintain some kind of order throughout the school." As a parent and classroom volunteer, Karen Tracy says these measures are a must. “You need to know who's here and why they're here and if they're really supposed to legitimately be in that school at the time or if there's a chance they are causing a disturbance."

Union school officials say they've never caught a sex offender trying to get on campus. But Miriam knows it could happen. That's why she wants her little boy to be safe. “That sure gives me a sense of peace. That's what we need. Schools stepping up to the plate."

Carson says this new security system is not final, it's still in its piloting stages. They'll review it in December to decide whether or not they'll keep it.

The Jenks School District has a similar program. Webster High School is the only Tulsa Public School with a similar checkpoint.

We should note that parents who are sex offenders are allowed on campus for certain reasons. However, those parents are supervised by school officials.