Parents, students give school weapons-detection system a positive review

Reaction to a new weapons-detection system being considered for Prince William County’s middle and high schools was mostly positive last week during the school division’s first safety and security briefing featuring the “Evolv Express” scanners at Gainesville High School.

Kimberly Vega, the parent of a high school and middle school student, said she felt the presentation was thorough and made her feel comfortable with the idea of the Evolv system.

“I really like the idea that it’s just detecting weapons,” Vega said. “I was hoping it didn’t detect keys and cellphones.”

Vega’s daughter Karina, a sophomore at GHS, said she also felt positively about the Evolv detectors coming to her school.

“I’ve been hearing about all these incidents with guns,” Vega said. “I think it’s better to make sure everyone’s safe.” 

The Evolv detectors were demonstrated at Gainesville High on Wednesday, Feb. 22. It was the first of three briefings to take place through early March. The Prince William County School Board is considering spending an estimated $16 to $20 million to begin installing the systems at all 30 middle and high schools starting next school year.

The detectors use machine-learning capabilities and are specifically trained to detect “mass-casualty” weapons such as guns and explosives. 

“The system is designed not to see any bias,” said Evolv representative Neil Sandhoff. “It sees the human body as a bag of salt water. It’s looking at the things you’re carrying with you.”

The detectors beep and show a red light to alert school staff, who will be monitoring the detectors, to potential hazards. In a demonstration during the presentation, the Evolv detectors were able to detect fake weapons and police officers’ guns, showing a red box on the screen where the items were on the person’s body. 

Unlike metal detectors, the Evolv detectors do not alert for normal metal items, such as keys and jewelry, or for cell phones. 

Evolv representatives said that it has no problem with medical devices such as hearing aids, though wheelchairs have caused a few false alarms in the past. Other items such as umbrellas have also caused false alarms in the past, though they are not common. 

The detectors have multiple levels of sensitivity. At higher levels, they could detect things such as small pocketknives or vapes, but Sandhoff said that it would be “counterproductive” to turn the sensitivity up this high unless there is a known threat. 

According to Evolv representatives, the detectors are also faster to go through than a normal metal detector.

“Most kids just walk right in, their day doesn’t really change,” Sandhoff said. 

The detectors have mainly been used in settings such as concerts and museums, including the Smithsonian in Washington DC. However, they were introduced to schools in Charlotte, North Carolina, and helped to reduce the number of weapons incidents there. 

According to Evolv representatives, there were 33 incidents of guns brought to school in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg district the year before the detectors were introduced. During the year that the detectors were introduced into schools, there was only one incident. 

Vernon Bock, the school division’s chief operating officer, said that the detectors will be introduced to Prince William schools gradually next school year.

“There’s a lot to work through leading up to fall,” Bock said. “It’s going to be a graduated rollout, not on the first day of school and not all at once.”

Jen Donnelly, who is the vice chair of an organization called Moms for Liberty, said that she was “very impressed” with the detectors.

“It’s so unobtrusive, it gives you a level of security that’s not ‘in your face’.” Donnelly said. 

Donnelly said that she is still concerned that the detectors are not being introduced in elementary schools.

“A lot of mass casualty events have happened at elementary schools,” Donnelly said.

Nichole Campbell, another parent who attended the presentation, said that she hoped the detector would make the students feel more comfortable. 

“It’s definitely less intrusive than a full metal detector,” Campbell said. 

However, Campbell said that she wishes that the detectors weren’t needed in the first place.

“I wish we could get rid of the problem with guns first,” Campbell said. “I wish we could help the students who wish to come in and selfishly take others’ lives.”

Reach Anya Sczerzenie at asczerzenie@fauquier.com