MARIETTA, Ga. — The Marietta City School District board approved pass-through weapons detectors on Tuesday night.
The same pass-through detectors we’ve seen installed in Atlanta Public Schools middle and high schools, as well as at Gwinnett County High School football games, are making their way to Marietta City schools.
Evolv Technology uses artificial intelligence and advanced sensors to tell the difference between weapons and everyday items. It passed unopposed by Marietta City school board members Tuesday night.
“What we will do this spring is do some test runs and we will implement it across all four campuses August 1st first next year,” MCS Superintendent Grant Rivera told Channel 2′s Candace McCowan.
The district said pass-through detectors are their latest layer of security.
They’ve already added more School Resource Officers and previously rolled out an AI weapons detection system that uses computer software with existing cameras to spot anyone with a visible weapon.
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With Tuesday’s vote, the district says with $550,000 in state school safety funds, students can now plan on passing through Evolv detectors each day. The technology will be used at Marietta High School, Marietta Middle School, Marietta Sixth Grade Academy, and the Woods-Wilkins Campus.
“Evolv is important to us because we believe we can get students through the doors as fast as possible. The last thing we want is to put a security measure in place then have students that are late to class,” Rivera said.
Some parents are cautious.
“It took me a minute to wrap my brain around it,” Jenny Storino who has a student in middle and high school within Marietta City Schools said. “Some people feel more safe that way. It puts me in a different position and mindset than necessarily what I’m used to at a school.”
Other parents said it was time.
“We want them to be able to go to school protected and come home,” parent Arsenio Young said.
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