HOWLAND — The Howland Board of Education received an update about one of the school’s programs designed to safeguard the district from intruders.

As Monday’s regular board meeting concluded, Superintendent Kevin Spicher briefed school officials about the status of their point-of-entry security systems, which have been installed and are being piloted by the district.

He said the district tries to add something new to the safety of the district’s buildings — and 2025 was no different, noting that schools have changed vastly since their inception.

“What these do is, anyone that comes in to pick up a child or who comes in as a visitor, is unknown or what have you,” Spicher said. “Provide your license, no matter who you are. They run it through a scanner that has an updated background check; it then spits out and states whether everything is clear.”

Spicher said principals and other staff ran their names through it to see what showed up for themselves, which was interesting because it gave a variety of names.

“If it’s clear, then that individual can access the building, but if there’s a nonclearance rationale for that individual to be in the building, it’s like a wrap-back program. It’s sent to my phone and sent to the main office or anyone else to make sure that we now know, we’re alerted that the person should not be in the building.”

Spicher said if the person still tries to gain access to the building, then they’re able to call the proper authorities or the school resource officer.

Spicher said the program also serves as a visitor badge system, printing out a sticker that affixes to the visitor’s lapel.

The program also has a “point of view” camera. Spicher said officials have asked if the camera picks up audio — or if it’s even capable of having it.

Board member Jeff Pegg inquired about the ability to input individuals who were not permitted in the building, highlighting potential issues such as custody battles between parents.

“If someone gets in trouble, they’re not coming in,” Spicher said. “There are a lot of good parameters on it, just like that, that you can set up and establish. We have a lot of challenges with custody issues, and we always want to think that everyone is getting along.”

Spicher clarified that the district is just piloting the program for now, but after the first of the year, the district will have a couple of months to choose whether it wishes to move forward with the software long-term.