GALION — As schools around Ohio begin to reopen for the 2020-2021 school year, Galion City Schools continue to seek new ways to be proactive with technology to benefit students, families and the Galion community.

The district has partnered with Ohio-based Visitu to implement a new software platform that will assist school leaders with visitor, student and emergency management functions, which are critical to keeping Galion students and staff safe.

“Safety, and the well being of our students and staff, is always at the forefront of our plans,” Galion technology director Ronnie Rinehart said. “This management system will not only provide some new security measures, but also will help us become more efficient within many areas of the schools.”

Students will be issued identification badges which will, among other things, allow for touchless scanning during lunch times.

The software also will give the district the capability to register visitors to each building, print visitor identification badges with photo ID and information, and set up virtual waiting rooms where families can wait in their vehicles before meeting with staff members.

“Our technology staff did a fantastic job researching different solutions to help us keep our buildings and campus more safe and secure,” Superintendent Jennifer Allerding said. “This is another example of the many positive ways we are continuing to look for new avenues to innovate the educational experience for Galion students and their families.”

Additional information about Visitu and its implementation in the Galion City Schools will be available soon on the district’s website, www.galionschools.org