Wausau School District implements new security measures at school entrances

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) – The Wausau School District says it is working to create safe learning environments for students and teachers for the 2024-25 school year by implementing new security measures at school entrances.

Singlewire Software, a company that specializes in creating solutions to help people stay safe and informed, implemented a visitor screening tool in the district to help increase security at all school entrances. The Visitor Aware system allows WSD to create a standardized check-in procedure for all guests and identify potential issues before they can fully access a school.

“It’s critical that we know who is in our building throughout the day so we can keep our students and teachers safe,” said Wausau School District Interim Superintendent Cale Bushman. “Visitor Aware provides the critical information we need to understand who is entering our buildings, giving us greater control over keeping our school buildings safe.”

By eliminating the district’s need for pen-and-paper sign-in sheets, Visitor Aware helps district officials know exactly who is entering their building, while ensuring they are confident that only those authorized to be there are allowed in. Using ID scanning and encrypted facial recognition, Visitor Aware screens visitors and volunteers against sex offender databases, government watch lists, and active legal measures.

Issues are reported to staff to detect potential threats, and approved guests are given a printed badge indicating they are allowed into the building.

“The threats facing schools and districts continue to evolve, and one of the best ways to prevent a threat from causing harm is to prevent them from gaining access to a building in the first place,” said Terry Swanson, president and CEO of Singlewire Software. “We are proud to support districts across Wisconsin as they look for ways to increase school entrance security so students can have a safe place to learn.”

In addition to Wausau, Visitor Aware has been implemented in more than a dozen Wisconsin school districts and more than 150 schools and districts nationwide. For more information on how Visitor Aware helps schools and districts create safe entrances, Click here.