Flowing Wells High School is using technology to monitor its parking lots and entrances.
Ten cameras were installed in December after the Flowing Wells Unified School District's governing board approved the installation of the cameras in November.
The cameras are positioned to monitor the parking lots and an entrance off West Prince Road.
The high school is at 3725 N. Flowing Wells Road.
"It's preventive versus daily surveillance," Superintendent Nicholas Clement said. "We can monitor activity on the campus on the weekends. If something does happen, we can go back and review it and provide it to law enforcement."
Clement said there were no instances of theft or vandalism during the holiday break, which is when they're most likely to occur because the campus is empty.
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The cameras were donated to the district by Wren Solutions, a Missouri-based business that manufactures video-surveillance equipment.
The company approached Clement about the cameras because it wants to establish a presence in the state, Wren West Region Sales Manager Brian Hall said.
The company, which works with retail giants such as Wal-Mart and Walgreens, donated the cameras and software.
It did the same for Madison Elementary School District in Phoenix, Hall said.
There is no contract between the district and Wren, but Flowing Wells has agreed to allow the company to use the district in its marketing and the district will make itself available to prospective clients, Clement said.
"A client could come and look at the way it is set up," Clement said.
Visits to the campus by potential clients would be based on the district's schedule.
The cameras and their installation would have cost the district about $20,000 if the equipment had not been donated.
The district will consider buying more cameras once it weighs the benefits of the current ones.
Having the cameras installed is just one of the measures the district is taking to ensure safety and security on its campuses.
District campuses have extra security at night and a new alarm system.
The cameras at the high school are not monitored around the clock, but they can be accessed from any computer connected to the district's network.
Right now, the district is saving seven days of digital surveillance.
About five years ago the district had a study session to discuss video surveillance, but at the time the district did not have the technology to handle cameras and it would have cost too much.
Other districts, including Vail, Sahuarita, Sunnyside and Catalina Foothills, have cameras on their campuses.
"It's going to create a lot of peace of mind," Governing Board member Gerald Long said.
Long doesn't want parents, staff or students to think the district will ease up on security measures now that the cameras have been installed.
"We have to make sure we keep our normal standards of vigilance," he said.
In addition to the cameras, the district has hired security guards to patrol the high school and Flowing Wells Junior High School at night.
A motion-sensor alarm was installed on the roof of Centennial Elementary School to prevent people from accessing the school at night.
And check-in and check-out protocols have been improved at district schools.
"We are trying to be as proactive and cost-effective as we can," Clement said.
We can monitor activity on the campus on the weekends. If something does happen, we can go back and review it and provide it to law enforcement.
Nicholas Clement
Superintendent
