Once again, MCPS skips public bidding process for "pilot" with unknown cost/benefit. Future cost could be tens of millions.

The Montgomery County Board of Education has had no public discussion of this pilot. The Board of Education has not voted to pilot this company's system and did not pick the 3 schools.

In 2024, MCPS estimated that weapons detection systems for secondary schools would cost $11,000,000.

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What we know about an AI-powered weapons detection system coming to county schools

The day before gunfire pierced a Montgomery County high school, the district quietly began rolling out a pilot program for an AI-powered weapons detection system.

Chief Safety Officer Marcus Jones wrote to families in three high school communities — Seneca Valley, Bethesda-Chevy Chase* and Magruder — to tell them that their campuses were poised to test VOLT AI.

“This pilot is a careful, short-term opportunity to test a potential tool,” the Feb. 8 letter reads...

...How much does it cost?

Sokolowski isn’t charging Montgomery County for its 30-day pilot.

“We are confident in our technology, so we allow companies and school districts to pilot completely for free.”

He said he has not yet discussed future pricing models with the district...

https://www.thebanner.com/education/k-12-schools/ai-powered-weapons-detection-montgomery-schools-wootton-HX2I2EI5YZC2NAK4OMDITQX2PU/

*Note: Superintendent Thomas Taylor has said he grew up in the BCC High School community and would be moving home when he took the MCPS superintendent position. 

MCPS considers adding vape, weapons detection systems, plus mandatory IDs to improve school safety

Recognizing growing community concerns about safety and discipline, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is considering new security and safety tools such as vape and weapons detection systems and mandatory student and staff IDs, according to a community letter from interim Superintendent Monique Felder.

In the letter sent April 2, Felder reaffirms the district’s commitment to safety and discipline in schools and aims to address mounting worries regarding student behavior that have been “in the forefront of community discussions, among student and staff and, lately in the news.”

“Comprehensive methods … can foster higher levels of safety and minimize incidents that violate the Student Code of Conduct,” Felder wrote...

https://moco360.media/2024/04/10/mcps-considers-adding-vape-weapons-detection-systems-mandatory-ids-to-improve-school-safety/