> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.goguardian.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Review Screening Alerts

> Review possible sex offender registry and watchlist matches, flagged answers, and student pickups on the GoGuardian Visitor Front Desk.

When a check-in or check-out needs a staff decision, an alert appears on the GoGuardian Visitor **Front Desk** right away. Most alerts are quick checks, such as confirming the students a guardian is picking up. If screening finds a possible match on a sex offender registry or a watchlist, you review the match and either confirm it or mark it as not a match.

This article shows you how to work through each alert in Visitor. What you decide is up to your school's procedures, such as which answers to accept, who can pick up a student, or what to do after a confirmed match. Follow them for every alert.

You can review alerts for the check-in points you're assigned to. Site Admins can review alerts at every check-in point. For how screening works and the settings behind it, see [Understand Visitor Screening](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/visitor-screening.md).

## Find Alerts Waiting for Review

Alerts appear in 3 places on the **Front Desk**:

* Alert banners at the top of the page, 1 for each alert, such as "**Possible Offender Match** for JANE DOE at Front Office Kiosk." Red banners are possible matches, flagged answers, and screening errors. Yellow banners are **Confirm Students**.
* **Kiosks** card: a kiosk with an alert shows **Needs Review**, **Needs Confirmation**, or **Screening Error** instead of **Active**.
* The check-in panel, for check-ins you run at the **Front Desk** yourself: alerts appear in the panel, each with **Review**. Flagged answers and student confirmations appear when you finish the form, 1 at a time. Denying any one of them denies the whole check-in or check-out.

Click **Review Alerts** or **Review** to open the alert. If 2 staff members open the same alert, the first decision applies, and the alert closes for the other staff member.

![Front Desk with red Possible Offender Match and Possible Watchlist Match banners for a fictional visitor at the Front Office Kiosk, each with Review Alerts, and the Kiosks card showing Needs Review](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/review-screening-alerts/01-front-desk-alerts.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=a44026abce29c7b40d8ec0fc2be8def4)

## Review a Possible Match

A possible match means screening found a record with details similar to the visitor's. It isn't a finding about the visitor, which is why a staff member confirms every possible match before Visitor takes action. The alert tells you which kind of record it found:

* **Possible Offender Match:** a record from a sex offender registry. Registry data comes from a third party, and GoGuardian does not independently verify it.
* **Possible Watchlist Match:** an entry on your school's watchlists. A watchlist is a list your school keeps of people staff need to know about at check-in, such as a parent who isn't allowed to pick up their child under a custody order.

You review both kinds of match the same way:

1. Click **Review Alerts** on the alert.
2. Ask the visitor for their government-issued ID. If they scanned an ID at the kiosk, the scan appears on the left. Otherwise, you see "Ask the visitor for their ID."
3. Compare the **Confirm Identity** details with the ID: first name, middle name, last name, and date of birth.
   * If everything matches, click **Confirm Identity**.
   * If anything is wrong, such as a misread date of birth, correct it and click **Run Security Screening Again**. Visitor closes the alert and screens the corrected identity. If there's still a possible match, a new alert appears.
4. Check the visitor against the **Possible Match**. The review is now titled **Potential Offender Match** or **Potential Watchlist Match**. The visitor's photo, name, date of birth, and ID are on the left, and the record is on the right. To check the ID again, click **Go Back**.
   * **Potential Offender Match:** shows the registry's photos, name, date of birth, physical details, and **Convictions**. Click **Show more details** for the rest of the record, such as **Cases**, **Sources**, and **Record Links**. If the registry returned more than 1 record, click the arrows to move between them.
   * **Potential Watchlist Match:** shows the watchlist entry, the **Watchlist** it's on, and the **Reason** your school entered.
5. Under "Is this the same person?", choose **Not a Match** or **Confirm Match**. See [Mark Not a Match](#mark-not-a-match) or [Confirm a Match](#confirm-a-match).

![Confirm Identity with a fictional SAMPLE driver license on the left and the visitor's first name, middle name, last name, and date of birth on the right, above Confirm Identity](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/review-screening-alerts/02-confirm-identity.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=4d37f72dafe13d46d511a2f65e5fab44)

![Potential Offender Match comparing the visitor's photo, name, date of birth, and ID with a fictional registry record's photo, physical details, and Convictions, with Confirm Match and Not a Match](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/review-screening-alerts/03-offender-match.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=a2271bb9203f6b39aff6153312264ee7)

## Mark Not a Match

Choose **Not a Match** when the visitor isn't the one in the record. The check-in or check-out continues, and Visitor doesn't notify anyone.

1. On the possible match, click **Not a Match**. If the registry returned more than 1 record, Visitor shows the next one. Compare it, and click **Not a Match** or **Confirm Match**. After the last record, the **Not a Match** dialog opens.
2. For a **Potential Offender Match**, optionally select **Permanently dismiss these matches for this visitor**. Visitor then stops raising these records for this visitor at your site. A permanent dismissal can't be undone. Follow your school's procedures. For how dismissals work, see [Understand Visitor Screening](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/visitor-screening.md#dismiss-a-match-permanently).
3. Click **Mark Not a Match**.
4. Verify the result: The alert banner is gone, and the visitor can finish checking in or out.

A watchlist match can't be dismissed permanently. If the visitor resembles a watchlist entry, it's a possible match on each visit.

## Confirm a Match

Choose **Confirm Match** only when you're confident the visitor is the one in the record. Visitor then denies the check-in or check-out and alerts the notification lists for that match right away.

1. On the possible match, click **Confirm Match**.
2. Read the **Confirm Match and Notify Staff** dialog. It shows how many staff members will be notified and through which notification lists:
   * For a possible offender match: your site's default notification list.
   * For a possible watchlist match: the notification lists attached to the watchlist.
     If no one will be notified, the dialog says why, such as "No one will be notified because a default notification list isn't set up."
3. Click **Confirm Match**. **Escalation Started** means Visitor sent the alert to the notification lists. If no notification list with members is set up, you see **No Staff Notified** instead.
4. Click **Done**, then follow your school's procedures for a confirmed match.
5. Verify the result: The alert banner is gone.

The check-in's **Activity Log** details keep the record you confirmed and show who confirmed it. For what notified staff receive, see [Respond to a Visitor Alert](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/respond-to-a-visitor-alert.md).

![Confirm Match and Notify Staff dialog saying 3 people will be notified through the Front Office Safety notification list, with Go Back and Confirm Match](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/review-screening-alerts/04-confirm-match-dialog.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=938284004a34127383d50933a4ac986e)

## Review a Flagged Answer

A **Flagged Answer** means the visitor or student chose an answer your school marked for review, such as answering yes when asked whether they feel sick. It's a routine check, and it never notifies anyone.

1. Click **Review Alerts** on the alert.
2. Read the question and the answer in **Review Flagged Answer**. Follow your school's procedures, such as talking with the visitor or student.
3. Choose what to do:
   * To let the check-in continue, click **Accept Answer**, then click **Accept Answer** to confirm.
   * To stop it, click **Deny Check-In** (or **Deny Check-Out**), then click it again to confirm.
4. Verify the result: The alert banner is gone.

## Confirm Students for a Pickup

**Confirm Students** asks you to check that the visitor is approved to pick up the students they selected. Every pickup through a **Select Students** step needs this confirmation before it completes. It's a routine check, and it never notifies anyone.

1. Click **Review** on the alert.
2. Check the students listed under **Select Students** against your school's pickup records.
3. Choose what to do:
   * If the visitor is approved for every student, click **Confirm Students**, then click **Confirm Students** to confirm.
   * If not, click **Deny Check-Out** (or **Deny Check-In**), then click it again to confirm.
4. Verify the result: The alert banner is gone.

## Resolve a Screening Error

A **Screening Error** means an error stopped a check from running. It isn't a match.

1. Click **Review** on the alert.
2. Find the check that shows **Error**: **Offender registry** or **Watchlist**.
3. Click **Retry Screening**.
4. If the error comes back and your school's procedures allow it, click **Skip Screening**, then click **Skip Screening** to confirm. The check-in can then be completed without the checks that had an error.
5. Verify the result: The alert banner is gone. If you skipped screening, the check-in shows **Screening Skipped**, and its **Activity Log** details show who skipped each check.

If screening errors keep happening, tell your IT team which check had the error and when.

![Screening Error dialog with Offender registry showing Error and Watchlist showing Completed, and Cancel, Skip Screening, and Retry Screening](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/review-screening-alerts/05-screening-error.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=b193abf9269f6f7a62d5444b6eac8c8b)

## Understand What the Visitor Sees

On a kiosk, the visitor keeps filling out the form while you review. If they finish first, the kiosk shows "Please wait" until you decide. They never see what screening found.

If you deny the check-in or check-out, or confirm a match, the kiosk shows "You could not check in" and "Please see the front desk."

![Kiosk Please wait screen saying a staff member is reviewing the check-in](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/kiosk-check-in-experience/07-please-wait.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=4759074edc4382071e071325d608404b)

![Kiosk screen saying You could not check in and Please see the front desk, with Return to Start](https://mintcdn.com/goguardian/vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi/images/screenshots/review-screening-alerts/06-kiosk-denied.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=vbbcOHBdrxzrcZoi\&q=85\&s=2d6b0f98d7e19c6d3a0e40c5b68f44fb)

## Troubleshoot Screening Alerts

| Problem | Cause | Fix |
| - | - | - |
| The alert closed while you were reviewing it | Another staff member decided first, or a staff member corrected the identity and ran screening again. | Check the **Front Desk** for a new alert. The **Activity Log** shows who decided. |
| You don't see an alert another staff member sees | You aren't assigned to the check-in point where the check-in started. | Ask a Site Admin to assign you to the check-in point. See [Check-In Points](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/check-in-points.md). |
| Screening finds the same possible match on every visit | Visitor checks watchlists on every visit, and **Not a Match** applies to 1 visit. | Choose **Not a Match** each time, and ask a Site Admin to check the watchlist entry. For a registry match, select **Permanently dismiss these matches for this visitor**. |
| **No Staff Notified** after you confirmed a match | No notification list with members is set up for the match. | Follow your school's procedures to reach the right staff now. Then ask a Site Admin to set up notification lists. See [Notification Lists](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/notification-lists.md). |
| A possible match appeared for a misread ID | The ID scan read a detail wrong, such as the date of birth. | In **Confirm Identity**, correct the detail and click **Run Security Screening Again**. |

## Resources

* [Understand Visitor Screening](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/visitor-screening.md)
* [Respond to a Visitor Alert](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/respond-to-a-visitor-alert.md)
* [Use the Front Desk](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/front-desk.md)
* [Watchlists](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/watchlists.md)
* [Notification Lists](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/notification-lists.md)
* [Activity Log](https://docs.goguardian.com/products/visitor/activity-log.md)


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