Wren Challenges School Administrators to Evaluate Paths to Safer Learning Environments

ATLANTA, June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- In the same way that any act of school violence is a tragedy to be avoided at all costs, every school administrator in America has the goal to provide a safe, high-performing environment for their students. However, according to school safety experts at Wren, when administrators only focus on the end goal, it can sometimes elude and cloud the decisions and considerations on what paths to take to get there.

In a new Bird's Eye View advisory, Wren encourages administrators to use the summer planning months to carefully weigh the benefits of what a safer learning environment provides. And, to then more closely assess how each school should tailor its own programs to attain the end goal of security.

"It's only natural, as a human reaction, to strive for all or nothing when it comes to protecting children, especially in an educational setting. Parents and the community look to schools to not only shape the minds of their future leaders and residents, but to also keep them safe while doing so. Administrators are putting their best foot forward by making security a priority," said Jeff Floreno, director of operations and security strategy, Wren Solutions.  "However, there are many minute aspects to security that differ from school to school based on history, size, location and budget that need to be factored into each school's master plan. During summer vacation, when administrators don't have the daily responsibility of running a school, this season can be an optimal time to evaluate these factors and the benefits."

Wren's new advisory analyzes some of the benefits of safer learning environments, which include:

• Fewer distractions to learning
• Improved academic performance
• Fewer incidences, suspensions and expulsions
• Increased sensitivity to violent acts
• Decreased liability
• Cost savings

Wren advises that school administrators who drill down and carefully weigh the end-goal benefits against each and every step they take towards attaining the goal for their particular setting will obtain the result of a safer learning environment. Whereas, administrators who only look at the big picture and make sweeping decisions in the name of school security over a point-by-point strategic plan, may waste resources and detriment the end goal in the process.

"It's the small steps – from incremental investments in technology to changes in how the internal staff operates – that make the most impact to school security improvements," said Floreno.

About Wren

Wren specializes in physical security technologies and services for retail, education, hospitality, healthcare and government facilities. The company's solutions, including enterprise-class video management software, access control systems, security assessments,  surveillance cameras and hardware, and professional services, enable organizations to protect people, assets and facilities, while empowering them with operational insights for better performance. Established in 1983 and headquartered in Jefferson City, MO, Wren is a member of the Security Industry Association (SIA), the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO), the National Association of School Safety and Law Enforcement Officers (NASSLEO), and the National Retail Federation (NRF). Visit us at our website www.wrensolutions.com.

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