District to pilot CLEAR residency‑verification software for cyber and residency checks

The district’s safety office described a new subscription to CLEAR, a residency‑verification database, and said it will use the system to spot‑check student residency and run batches of students in categories the district deems high risk — initially, students enrolled in outside cyber schools who live in the district.

Administrators said the software aggregates public records and other sources into a single searchable database that will make residency checks less labor‑intensive for officers, registrars and administrators. Safety staff said the district trained three police officers this week and that Caroline Dardia in registration and Nancy Schafer, student‑services coordinator, will also have access.

Staff told the board the district expects the PCCD grant the district manages to pay for the software in the next grant cycle; the district is currently managing multiple PCCD grants with staggered end dates. Administrators estimated that finding as few as one out‑of‑district student in an outside cyber program could nearly offset the annual subscription cost.

The board discussed the software’s use for ad hoc spot checks and batches triggered by enrollment changes. Staff emphasized the system uses public records and said batches will be reserved for higher‑profile cases (for example, students enrolled in outside cyber programs) but can be used to check any student on request. Staff said the goal is to save officer time so officers remain visible in schools rather than tied to manual residency investigation work. The board did not vote on purchasing at the meeting; staff said the purchase will be covered by expected PCCD funding next year.