In fall of 2023, administrators installed Evolv security detection technology at the front and back doors of Legacy and other MISD schools as an attempt to detect potential threats and weapons in students’ bags as they enter the school. Evolv machines should stay in schools while administrators continue to make necessary changes to improve its effectiveness.
Evolv technology uses Artificial Intelligence to detect concealed weapons. AI continues to become more and more advanced by the day which means that systems such as Evolv will follow. As the detection improves, so will the safety on school campuses.
All high schools in MISD use Evolv technology. As students walk in the doors, they pass off their chromebooks and walk through the machine. AI in the system flags metal and other potential concealed weapons in students’ bags, sending them off to administrators who search backpacks and instrument cases. The entire process usually takes only a couple of minutes, and if lines are long, students can receive passes to class. It’s simple, provides security and protects parents, students and staff by adding another layer for potential threats to have to pass.
Opponents of Evolv technology point out that the detecting system can be faulty and cause students to need their bag searched for simple things like water bottles, binders and so on. Some band students will have to get their instrument case checked every single day. Keeping that in mind, many improvements have been made to the system since the beginning of the year due to staff marking said items as harmless. The technology will continue to improve and filter out unnecessary flags. Opponents also argue that because of so many random things getting flagged, admin could potentially skip over a real threat, blaming the alert on a school binder. While this is a concern, the system increases the chances of finding a weapon ahead of time than if bags weren’t getting scanned at all. Additionally, opponents are upset at the cost of keeping Evolv in schools. MISD is paying $40,000 per year for this feature which may seem like a lot, but ultimately the peace of mind that this blanket of security brings to students and parents is worth the price.
The Evolv system, though imperfect, adds a blanket of safety to our school. The board should continue to install Evolv systems while looking for ways to improve their effectiveness and add even more layers of protection for students.
