MC schools to lease weapons detection devices for $389,277

The Middlesex County School Board (MCSB) voted on Monday, June 12, to approve a four-year lease for $389,277 to have weapons detection systems installed at the county’s three public schools.

It was approved on a 4-0 vote as Pinetop District Supervisor Garland Harrow did not vote as he was not in attendance. Hartfield representative Jenny McMurtrie, Harmony Village school board member Claudia Soucek, Saluda representative Dr. Dana Burnett, and Jamaica District representative Elliott Reed all voted for approval.

The systems will be in place at each school at the start of the 2023-2024 school year and leased for the next four years. It will cost $111,865 for the first year and $92,470 for each of the next three years.

The school board was informed by Middlesex County Public Schools (MCPS) Superintendent Dr. Tracy Seitz that funds to pay for the system will come from increases in state aid to schools as the county’s Average Daily Membership (ADM) in 2022 was higher than anticipated. ADM or number of students enrolled determines in part the amount of state aid to counties.

The school system will lease the Evolv Express systems for four years. The system is a screening device that uses sensor technology with artificial intelligence (AL) to provide safer, more accurate threat detection at an unprecedented volume and speed, states the literature on the system. “When the person walks past the screen it will show the image of the person and where the weapon is located,” said MCPS Assistant School Superintendent Dr. Byron Bishop.

Dr. Bishop said that the Evolv system deters someone in possession of a weapon from entering the school and does not require the staffing needed for a metal detector. It does not require searching of all bags and personal items and does not store biometric data or photos of students. It also handles larger volumes of students through the entrance, like at a sporting event, he said.