GREENVILLE, Wis., March 19, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- School Specialty, Inc. (OTCQB:SCOO) ("School Specialty" or "the Company"), a leading distributor of innovative and proprietary products, programs and services to the education marketplace, announced today that the Company will be demonstrating its latest SSI GUARDIAN programs at the 75th Annual National School Boards Association (NSBA) Conference. The conference runs from March 21-23, 2015 at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

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"We are excited to attend the NSBA Conference and look forward to meeting with our partners in education. This year in particular is exciting for us as we will be showcasing our newest advanced school security training and solutions, designed to keep schools and our children safe," stated Michael A. Yorio, President, SSI GUARDIAN, LLC and Senior Vice President of School Specialty's Security Division. "School safety and security have never been more critical than now, given the unfortunate upward trend of tragic events. Our advanced training fulfills a critical market need, providing schools with the most up to date research-based, PhD authored curriculum that meets academic standards. GUARDIAN programs are taught by some of America's most qualified security experts. Our instructors bring decades of real life experience to the classroom; those who have proudly served in the U.S. Secret Service, Department of State, Federal Air Marshall Service and Chiefs of Police now humbly serve our children."

SSI GUARDIAN also has drawn upon the expertise of the academic community, adding to their team, Mr. Rocky DelMonaco, former Vice President Global Campus Security with Georgetown University and Professor Frank Trapp, PhD who currently has incorporated GUARDIAN's advanced active shooter training into an emergency operations planning course at Methodist University.

SSI GUARDIAN is exhibiting at Booth #839 and attendees are welcome to come by and learn more about the GUARDIAN custom solutions which integrate advanced training (onsite, webinars and e-Learning forums), consulting services, security products, and technology solutions.  Advanced Active Shooter Response and School Bus Driver Awareness are examples of advanced training programs offered to K-12 schools.

Mr. Yorio concluded, "We do not subscribe to the 'train the trainer model'; our school children deserve the best when it comes to security and will now have access to the same security experts who have protected U.S. Presidents, senior diplomats and Hollywood mega stars. Effective school security starts with proper planning and school board officials can lead the way."

For more information on SSI GUARDIAN, please also visit us on the web at www.guardianprotect.com.

The NSBA Annual Conference and Exposition brings together education leaders at a time when domestic policies and global trends are combining to shape the future of students. More than 5,000 board members, superintendents, and education leaders from across the country and around the globe are expected to attend to gain knowledge and information in five key areas: leadership, advocacy, technology + learning, urban school issues, and school law. The 2015 conference will feature more than 200 programming sessions, workshops, speakers, site visits, and exhibitors with cutting-edge content, best practices, and the freshest ideas to support student achievement. For more info, please visit www.nsba.org/conference.

About School Specialty, Inc.

School Specialty is a leading distributor of innovative and proprietary products, programs and services to the education marketplace. The Company designs, develops, and provides educators with the latest and very best school supplies, furniture and both curriculum and supplemental learning resources. Working in collaboration with educators, School Specialty reaches beyond the scope of textbooks to help teachers, guidance counselors and school administrators ensure that every student reaches his or her full potential. For more information about School Specialty, visit www.schoolspecialty.com.

CONTACT: Media Contacts
         Glenn Wiener / Dionne Manchester
         gwiener@GWCco.com / dionne@GWCco.com
         Tel: 212-786-6011 / 212-786-6068

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