Big changes are coming to Manatee County schools this year.
On the first day of school on Monday, you can expect to see weapon detectors in high schools and cameras that ticket drivers speeding through school zones.
Here’s what you need to know.
Weapon detectors in Manatee high schools
Starting this year, high schoolers will go through weapon detectors every morning to get to class.
Two guardians, or armed security officers, will monitor the Evolv Express scanners, which use advanced sensor technology and artificial intelligence to detect weapons. The Guardians will search bags that set off the scanner’s alarm.
“This is gonna cause kids who may have brought something to double think that because they know they’re going to be checked every single day instead of at random,” School Board chairman Chad Choate III said.
The goal is to prevent students from bringing weapons to schools and lower the risk of violent incidents, a district official said.
The Evolv Express scanners , first tested in a pilot program at high schools last year, will also be used to search for weapons at extracurricular events, such as football games. The district could put the weapon detectors at middle schools at a later date, a district official said.