LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Jefferson County Board of Education voted to approve advancing a proposal to implement new safety measures at Jefferson County Public Schools.
The board voted in favor of moving the proposal forward during its meeting Tuesday evening. It will now issue a Request for Proposals to companies (RFP) for installing weapon detection systems in the district's middle and high schools. Once that process is finished, the board will have a better idea of what the technology and installation process will cost.
Board members Sarah McIntosh, Linda Duncan, Diane Porter, Corrie Shull and James Craig voted in favor of weapon detectors. Joe Marshall and Chris Kolb voted against it.
"I have heard mothers, fathers, grandparents, say, 'I want my children to be safe,'" Porter said at Tuesday's meeting. "This may not be the end all, be all, it may not be the best, but to do nothing, I'm worried about that."
The district has been looking into the systems since early February.
It's different from metal detectors in that it uses artificial intelligence-based technology to detect weapons. It allows people to walk through without removing their bags or emptying their pockets. A guard monitors the system on a tablet, and is alerted when a weapon is detected on a person.
JCPS plans to phase the technology in to its high schools beginning next school year, and have them in all middle schools by the start of the 2024-25 school year.
JCPS Weapon Detector Implementation Timeline (Courtesy: JCPS)
JCPS said its decision on what schools will receive the systems first was decided by high school administrators. They factored in the number of incidents where weapons have been found in individual schools, and how to have a vast approach.
The technology is already in use in Louisville, the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts uses a system called Evolv. The school board has explored Evolv as a system it could use, which could cost an estimated $17 million for a five year lease.
Opinions about the technology varies amid some reports that it isn't successful. A school district in Utica, New York, which also uses Evolv, said a student got through with a knife and stabbed another student. The district's superintendent said the system was designed for use at large stadiums or arenas to "prevent incidents of mass casualties" but is not "adequate or practical" for public schools to use.
However, a school district in Florida that also uses Evolv said that the system's most sensitive level can detect knives, along with guns and explosives. But while that results in more false positives, the district's chief of police said those started to decrease the longer the system was in use.
It also brought a mix of opinions during public comment at Tuesday's meeting.
Louisville Deputy Mayor David James said he was, "here to beg," the board to approve the safety measure. He continued that public safety is a government responsibility, and JCPS is a government agency that plays a factor in helping the community solve its problems related to gun violence.
Western High School teacher Sonja Wilde-Devries was disappointed by the board's decision, and what she described as quick movement to pass the safety measure.
"We can do much better than ramming an untested, multimillion-dollar investment just to do something," Wilde-Devries said.
JCPS administrators and board members emphasized that weapon detectors will be another level of safety for students, in addition to other resources it offers.
"I believe we need restorative practices in our buildings, I think we need to continue everything we're doing currently, plus additional layers of safety," Shull said.
The board also briefly mentioned creating a community task force to gather input on ways to address safety in its schools. Â
The district will host a proof of concept evet with Evolv Technology at Butler High School on May 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m.
Other companies that complete a request for proposal will be able to schedule a proof of concept opportunity.
Related Stories:
- JCPS board set to vote Tuesday on weapons detection system proposal
- Weapon detection systems proposed for JCPS schools already in use in Louisville
- JCPS advances new weapons detection system in middle, high schools to final vote
- JCPS board, superintendent to consider proposal to install metal detectors in schools
- What happens when students are found with guns at JCPS schools?
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