Substitute and parent raises concerns about visitor check‑in lines and staff access at Terrace Elementary

At the May 19 board meeting a community member who said she subbed in District 62 schools described repeated access problems at Terrace Elementary and urged improvements to the visitor check‑in and staff access systems.

The speaker said she was frequently locked out of classroom areas because keys or proxy access cards did not work, sometimes leaving instructors and higher‑needs students waiting while staff sought a janitor or administrator to open doors. She described one recent family event at Terrace where parents and guardians faced a 65‑person line at the Raptor visitor check‑in kiosk; she suggested preregistration (for example, a Google form that captures license numbers and preprints stickers) to speed entry for high‑attendance events.

The commenter also said the school’s process lacked a reliable checkout procedure and recounted taking additional children home at the end of an event without being stopped or questioned, which she said raised safety concerns.

A district staff member responding at the meeting said the Raptor process is designed primarily to check visitors against previously vetted lists and is not currently intended to manage dismissal or checkout for after‑hours events, and that the district’s safety committee was meeting this week to review procedures. The staff responder acknowledged keys and access remain a “work in progress.”

The board did not take action at the meeting; the public comment and district response were recorded as part of the safety‑committee and operational follow‑up.