Hours after a shooting at Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, left one student wounded and a second facing charges of attempted second-degree murder Monday, Montgomery County Superintendent Thomas Taylor said the school system is rolling out a pilot program that will introduce a weapons detection system.
“This past week, we’ve actually announced a pilot where we are looking at an artificial intelligence weapons detection pilot at three of our high schools, and information has gone out to those school communities to see if we can learn something about that technology and to see how it might be a good fit in our community,” Taylor said at a news conference Monday evening.
He told reporters the school system still has “a lot to learn” about the weapons detection system, adding that the shooting at Wootton is a clear example of the “urgency to explore every option” when it comes to school security.
Montgomery County Public Schools spokesperson Liliana Lopez confirmed to WTOP on Tuesday that three schools — Magruder, Seneca Valley and Bethesda-Chevy Chase high schools — would be taking part in the pilot program.
The pilot would begin following a public forum during which parents and students can weigh in.
According to a letter from Magruder Principal Chris Ascienzo and Chief Safety Officer for Montgomery County schools Marcus Jones sent to the Magruder school community, a virtual parent teacher student association meeting will be held Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. and a student and staff forum is scheduled for Feb. 19 at 11:15 a.m. There will also be a staff meeting March 2.
According to the letter, dated Feb. 8, the school is slated to take part in a one-month pilot program using a system called VOLT-AI. VOLT-AI’s system “works with existing school security cameras in public areas, such as entrances, hallways, common spaces, and areas outside school buildings to flag certain situations that may need attention.”
Montgomery County school community reacts
Wootton High School PTSA President Brian Rabin told WTOP the school system would benefit from the adoption of weapons detections systems,
“I think that our schools need to detect weapons coming in,” he said. “We need to make sure that our schools are as safe as possible.”
Rabin said he first learned about Monday’s shooting from his wife, who was in the Wootton pickup line at the end of the school day: “Police started coming in all different directions with rifles out, and she was terrified.”
Rabin, who formerly worked as a guidance counselor at Wootton, said he didn’t think the school should have been open the day following the shooting.
“They need time to process everything that happened,” he said. “I know MCPS provided a lot of mental health supports. I did see them coming to MCPS this morning.”
In a letter to the Wootton school community, Superintendent Taylor and Wootton Principal Joseph Bostic said the school day would not be an attempt to return to normal, but would be used to allow students and staff to deal with the impact of Monday’s incident.
Taylor and Bostic wrote that counselors, psychologists and social workers will provide support to students and staff: “We learned that there is no one ‘right’ way to feel after an experience like this. Some students and adults need to talk. Others needed quiet, space, or routine.”
The letter explained that the additional support resources would be in place “for the foreseeable future.”
Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando, who chairs the council’s Education and Culture Committee, said there’s been debate over the possible adoption of weapons detection systems.
“The research that I’ve looked at, for the cost of those, there’s a lot of debate of how effective they are,” he said. “We want to improve and look at anything that can help us have a safer school system.”
Jawando said he’s open to exploring all options, adding, “We have to have a comprehensive strategy that includes law enforcement, but also has some of these other pieces,” like restorative justice practices that he said can help get to the root of school violence.
Jawando, a father of four, is running for county executive.
“I have skin in the game, my kids are in the school system right now. Trust me, the only thing I want for them to be is to be cared for and safe, to be learning.”
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