Posted: Thu, 7 Oct 2010 08:38 AM - 10,972 Readers

By: Patty Shafer

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit has ruled unanimously that the Lake Travis school district's policy requiring all visitors to undergo an electronic sex offender background check before gaining access to schools does not violate the constitutional rights of parents.

Yvonne and Larry Meadows filed a lawsuit against the district after their child's school required Yvonne Meadows to use the district's visitor management system in 2006. The couple said that the district's background check policy violated their constitutional rights and deprived them of their right to participate in their child's education.

The suit also said the principal refused to allow Yvonne Meadows to attend several school events unless her driver's license was scanned. She refused and filed a formal grievance with the district, which was denied.

Like Lake Travis, various Central Texas districts use software and equipment from Houston-based Raptor Systems to scan information encoded in a magnetic strip on driver's licenses.