An additional layer of security will soon be implemented at Prince William County, Virginia, middle and high schools. The county’s school board is moving ahead with plans to equip schools with security screeners.
The county will begin rolling out the security screeners to schools in August.
During Tuesday’s school board meeting, Superintendent LaTanya McDade stressed the need for more safety. “The one thing that we all agree on is the need to do more to protect our students and staff,” she said.
The weapons detection system, made by Evolv Technology, is a screener that’s already in use at sports stadiums, hospitals and in several districts across the country.
Despite some community members speaking out against the cost and questioning the effectiveness, school officials said the system is less intrusive and would allow multiple students to go through the system at a time.
“We remain vigilant in the innovative implementation of national best practices and school safety,” McDade added.
The school district’s Chief Operating Officer Vernon Bock said the Evolv security screeners would help add an additional layer of protection while also protecting personal information.
“We’ve had guns make their way into our schools,” he said. “We believe in taking every step, and this is a major step, in minimizing the risk to students and employees.”
Manassas City Public Schools recently voted to install security lanes. In March, the Alexandria City school board also voted to roll out a pilot program for a similar security system.
In Maryland, Charles County announced plans to incorporate an AI gun detection technology into their schools.
