Frequently Asked Questions (Visiting a School)

Arlington Public Schools facilities, programs and schools use an enterprise-wide visitor management system to screen and log all visitors, volunteers, and contractors. All visitors, volunteers, and contractors are required to follow the directions posted at the facility, program, or school on where to report. School Division employees are expected to report to the facility, program, or school main office when not in their daily assigned work location. Interested in volunteering with Arlington Public Schools, visit the Volunteer and Partnership page to learn more. The following are frequently asked questions about the enterprise-wide visitor management system.

Question	Answer
What data is collected and stored when a visitor ID is scanned?	The system collects the ID photo, name, date of birth, and the first four digits of a license number. In the event that two or more visitors have the same first name, last name, and date of birth, the system uses the first four digits of the license to differentiate between them. Only the minimum data needed to accurately identify an entrant is collected. No other data is collected from the ID and no photocopy of the ID is retained.
How is my data going to be used?	The system uses the least amount of data needed to screen entrants against registered sex offender databases in all 50 states. The system also creates a log of all visitors who are in the building.
How is my data protected?	The system uses fire walls, intrusion prevention systems, host integrity monitoring, and port filtering as well as the latest security processes and procedures to protect the system and its data. In addition, Arlington Public Schools has segregated the system from the network and worked with the vendor to ensure that all information in transmission is encrypted using 256-bit AES encryption.
Is my data shared with any third parties?	No data is shared with third parties by the vendor or Arlington Public Schools.
How long is my data retained by the system?	In accordance with the Virginia Records Retention Schedule GS-16, Arlington Public Schools will retain records for 6 months after last entry or use and direct the vendor to destroy records in compliance with No. 8 on the schedule cover page.