by Nicholas Jones ‘28

In the past few years, MCPS has not avoided the nationwide scourge of guns and gun violence in schools. MCPS has been impacted by multiple incidents over the past few years, including non-fatal shootings at Magruder and Wootton. Last fall, a student at Sherwood brought a gun to school, and administrators did not discover this until another student reported it at the end of the school day. These incidents have raised alarms over how school safety is handled and addressed.

MCPS plans to address these incidents with a 30-day pilot program that uses AI to detect weapons. Earlier this year, in February, MCPS rolled out the program to Magruder, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, and Seneca Valley high schools. However, the system has raised concerns among parents over privacy as well as the eventual financial costs of the system.

The AI detection system comes from VOLT (Violence Observation and Lead Tracking) AI, a local company that specializes in using video intelligence to secure buildings. The company’s technology has been used by other school systems across the area, such as Loudoun County, Virginia, which is now extending the system to all its high schools. This system and similar systems are gaining popularity nationwide because they are designed to help staff quickly identify and respond to safety issues.

The VOLT AI system works by installing software into existing security cameras, which allows them to detect multiple warning signs, such as fights, weapons, large crowds, bullying, and more. According to the company, the AI has been trained with large amounts of data consisting of videos and images, which help it detect weapons. Dmitry Sokolowski, the CEO of VOLT AI, notes that the system only detects and responds to visibly seen weapons. When triggered, the system will notify trained staff via mobile alerts, who must review what happened and determine whether action is needed. MCPS officials have assured community members that the system will never make decisions on its own to contact police. This is likely due to recent false alarms, such as an incident in Baltimore County where a student was held at gunpoint due to an AI detection system mistaking an object for a gun.

The new system comes with worries over student privacy. Parents at a recent public hearing noted that MCPS has yet to make any documentation of the agreements with the company public. This has led the Parents’ Coalition of Montgomery County to file a Maryland Public Information Act that would make the contract between VOLT AI and MCPS public.

MCPS has responded by saying that the pilot program is a free program and that there are no contracts or receipts to put out, and the district stated that lawyers from both sides thoroughly reviewed the agreement before it was approved. The technology does not use facial recognition, record audio, or operate in bathrooms or classrooms, and the system will not be fully integrated without community input and additional review.