Loudoun County Schools Implement AI-Powered Security System to Enhance Campus Safety

Can AI identify safety threats in schools? One district wants to try.

Freeman High School in Rockford, Washington, upgraded the cameras in its security system after a shooting last year killed a student and wounded three others. (Rajah Bose/For The Washington Post) Loudoun County schools will use an artificial intelligence system to help identity fights, bullying or other potential safety threats on campuses. The system, from local tech company VOLT AI, will use AI to monitor video footage from the school district's existing security cameras to spot incidents that might require staff intervention, such as the presence of weapons or other safety threats or medical emergencies. The cameras are used only in common areas, not bathrooms or locker rooms. When the AI system detects a potential situation, VOLT staff will first try to verify the incident, then send an alert to school personnel with information about what is happening and where in the school. The verification process adds a short delay for responding, but it is designed to ensure there are no false positives, said Dmitry Sokolowski, co-founder of VOLT. "Most organizations don't have enough people to get everywhere at once, right? And you never can predict where things could happen," Sokolowski said. "With a system like ours, it allows the personnel on the ground in the school to be able to respond in such a quick turnaround." Skip to end of carousel Make the most of the DMV with our newsletter (The Washington Post) Make living in D.C. a little easier and more fun. Sign up for the Post Local newsletter to get local news, weather and expert advice -- where to eat, where to drink and how to get around -- every weekday. End of carousel Loudoun schools spokesman Dan Adams said the new software is part of a broader effort to increase security starting next school year. Other upcoming initiatives include a clear-bag policy for football games and a weapon detection pilot program to test walk-through scanners at some schools. For the cameras, the school district signed a five-year contract with VOLT AI that is to be reviewed each year and costs $1.1 million in the first year. The new technology will not lead to job cuts; rather, Adams said, it could help improve the response to potential incidents. The use of AI to help identify threats on campuses comes as the school security industry has grown rapidly in recent decades, particularly fueled by fears of school shootings. According to the U.S. Education Department, about 93 percent of schools reported using security cameras to monitor school grounds during the 2020-2021 school year, the most recent data available. That number was up from about 61 percent reported during the 2009-2010 school year. Some groups and researchers have raised concerns about increased surveillance in schools, and critics say the costly tech can be faulty in preventing threats and encroaches on student privacy. Sokolowski said the VOLT software does not capture or use any identifying information about students. It looks only for activity. He said the company's technology is used in hundreds of schools across 10 states and is continuing to expand. The system can vary by school to identify or exclude certain behaviors, he said, and the technology typically alerts to "just a handful" of incidents every week. Sokolowski said the system has been successful in helping school officials respond to medical emergencies like detecting a student on the floor after they had a seizure when no one else was around. "We get such positive feedback from the parents and the faculty, because they didn't even know that this type of a system existed in their school where their child needed medical attention, and then they got it right away," Sokolowski said. Schools also use AI-driven security tech in other forms. Many popular weapon detection systems include walk-through gates that scan students and use AI to identify weapons. Nearby Fairfax County Public Schools rolled out a pilot this year in which weapons scanners were deployed each week to a randomly selected high school. The school district declined to discuss whether AI-supported camera systems similar to the ones Loudoun will use are being used in its schools. "In order to maintain the safety of our students, staff and visitors, we do not publicly discuss our security protocols and systems," the school district said in a statement. The Loudoun district has also used AI in other ways. It uses Gaggle to monitor the content of students' email, documents and chats on school-issued accounts and devices. If certain keywords -- such as inappropriate search words or references to self-harm or violence -- are detected, it can trigger an alert to school administrators depending on severity. Loudoun and some other school districts also use a sensor system that can detect things like vaping, sounds, or multiple bodies in bathrooms or locker rooms. Sokolowski said VOLT is hoping to test whether it can integrate the data from those sensors into the company's AI software.

Can AI identify safety threats in schools? One district wants to try.

A Virginia county's schools will use an artificial intelligence system to help identity fights, bullying or other potential safety threats on campuses. The system, from a local tech company, VOLT AI, will use AI to monitor video footage from the Loudoun County school district's existing security cameras to spot incidents that might require staff intervention, such as the presence of weapons or other safety threats or medical emergencies. The cameras are used only in common areas, not bathrooms or locker rooms. When the AI system detects a potential situation, VOLT staff will first try to verify the incident, then send an alert to school personnel with information about what is happening and where in the school. The verification process adds a short delay for responding, but it is designed to ensure there are no false positives, said Dmitry Sokolowski, co-founder of VOLT. "Most organizations don't have enough people to get everywhere at once, right? And you never can predict where things could happen," Sokolowski said. "With a system like ours, it allows the personnel on the ground in the school to be able to respond in such a quick turnaround." Loudoun schools spokesperson Dan Adams said the new software is part of a broader effort to increase security starting next school year. Other upcoming initiatives include a clear-bag policy for football games and a weapon detection pilot program to test walk-through scanners at some sporting events. For the cameras, the school district signed a five-year contract with VOLT AI that is to be reviewed each year and costs $1.1 million in the first year. The new technology will not lead to job cuts; rather, Adams said, it could help improve the response to potential incidents. The use of AI to help identify threats on campuses comes as the school security industry has grown rapidly in recent decades, particularly fueled by fears of school shootings. According to the U.S. Education Department, about 93% of schools reported using security cameras to monitor school grounds during the 2020-2021 school year, the most recent data available. That number was up from about 61% reported during the 2009-2010 school year. Some groups and researchers have raised concerns about increased surveillance in schools, and critics say the costly tech can be faulty in preventing threats and encroaches on student privacy. Sokolowski said the VOLT software does not capture or use any identifying information about students. It looks only for activity. He said the company's technology is used in hundreds of schools across 10 states and is continuing to expand. The system can vary by school to identify or exclude certain behaviors, he said, and the technology typically alerts to "just a handful" of incidents every week. Sokolowski said the system has been successful in helping school officials respond to medical emergencies like detecting a student on the floor after they had a seizure when no one else was around. "We get such positive feedback from the parents and the faculty because they didn't even know that this type of a system existed in their school where their child needed medical attention, and then they got it right away," Sokolowski said. Schools also use AI-driven security tech in other forms. Many popular weapon detection systems include walk-through gates that scan students and use AI to identify weapons. Nearby Fairfax County Public Schools rolled out a pilot this year in which weapons scanners were deployed each week to a randomly selected high school. The school district declined to discuss whether AI-supported camera systems similar to the ones Loudoun will use are being used in its schools. "In order to maintain the safety of our students, staff and visitors, we do not publicly discuss our security protocols and systems," the school district said in a statement. The Loudoun district has also used AI in other ways. It uses Gaggle to monitor the content of students' email, documents and chats on school-issued accounts and devices. If certain keywords -- such as inappropriate search words or references to self-harm or violence -- are detected, it can trigger an alert to school administrators depending on severity. Loudoun and some other school districts also use a sensor system that can detect things like vaping, sounds or multiple bodies in bathrooms or locker rooms. Sokolowski said VOLT is hoping to test whether it can integrate the data from those sensors into the company's AI software.