Welcome to DES!
Families, volunteers, and community members are an important part of Duanesburg Elementary School, and we are happy to welcome visitors to our building. At the same time, maintaining a safe, secure, and uninterrupted learning environment for our students is our highest priority.
To help us know who is in our building at all times, all visitors must enter through the Main Office entrance and check in with office staff before proceeding anywhere in the school.
Whenever possible, visits during the school day should be scheduled in advance with the staff member you are coming to see.
Visitor Check-In: Raptor System
Duanesburg Elementary School uses the Raptor Visitor Management System to help maintain a safe and secure school environment.
All visitors must present a valid driver’s license or other government-issued photo ID each time they visit the school. This requirement applies to everyone, even if you are known or recognized by school staff. For the safety of our students and staff, we must follow the same check-in procedures consistently for all visitors.
Visitors who do not have a valid photo ID will not be permitted beyond the Main Office or into the school building.
Identification is scanned through the Raptor system as part of our visitor screening and check-in process. Once approved, visitors will receive a dated identification badge with their photo. Visitor badges must be worn and visible at all times while in the building.
At the conclusion of your visit, please return to the Main Office to sign out and return your visitor badge.
Once a visitor has been entered into the Raptor system, the check-in process for future visits is typically quicker.
Visiting Our School
To help us maintain a safe and productive learning environment, we ask all visitors to follow these guidelines:
- Wear your visitor badge. Badges should remain visible throughout your visit.
- Use designated visitor parking. Please do not park along the sidewalk directly in front of the school or in the driveway near the kitchen/gym doors. These areas must remain clear for safety and emergency access.
- Help us protect instructional time. Please silence cell phones and other electronic devices and avoid using them in instructional areas.
- Supervise young children. Children accompanying visitors should remain with an adult at all times.
- Help us keep our hallways learning-friendly. Please use quiet voices and appropriate language when traveling through the building so classroom instruction is not disrupted.
- Smoking and vaping are prohibited anywhere on school grounds.
Special Events at DES!
We love welcoming our families into DES for celebrations, performances, assemblies, and other special events throughout the school year!
For any event held on school property, families and guests will be asked to sign up in advance through ParentSquare. All visitors must be registered prior to the event, and the name used to register must match the valid government-issued photo ID presented at check-in.
For certain events, families and visitors may be directed to enter through the Student Entrance rather than the Main Office. Please use this entrance only when specifically directed by the school and follow the arrival and check-in procedures communicated for that event.
During larger, building-wide events, there may be many visitors arriving at the same time. We appreciate your patience as our staff checks in each guest and follows our safety procedures. Allowing a few extra minutes for arrival can help ensure you have plenty of time to check in before the event begins.
Depending on the location of the event, there may be a limit to the number of guests that can attend per family. If a limit applies, this information will be communicated to families in advance through ParentSquare
We truly want our families to be part of the experiences and celebrations that make DES special. Our visitor procedures are not intended to create a barrier to participation—they are in place so that we can welcome our community into the building while knowing who is in our school and maintaining a safe environment for our students and staff.
For these procedures to be effective, we must apply them consistently to every visitor and every event. Thank you for partnering with us and helping us keep DES both welcoming and safe.