Clarksville-Montgomery County high schools are quietly swapping out one high-tech security system for another, as the district replaces its Evolv weapons-detection pilot with OPENGATE open-frame scanners.
The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) has already installed OPENGATE units at Northeast High on Feb. 24 and at Rossview High on March 3, with more campuses slated to get the devices in the coming months. District officials say the scanners are being paid for with Tennessee Safe Schools Act grant funds.
CMCSS piloted Evolv technology in 2023 at Northwest High and also used the system at events across several campuses, according to NewsChannel 5. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office will keep leasing Evolv at Northwest while the rest of the district transitions to the new setup. District leaders told local outlets they landed on OPENGATE after reviewing different options and liked that the units can be purchased outright as a one-time expense, which they put at roughly $15,000 to $20,000 per device, instead of Evolv’s multi-year lease model that can climb into six figures, according to WSMV.
How OpenGate works and how CMCSS plans to use it
OPENGATE relies on a magnetic and ferromagnetic field detection system that flags large metal objects as people walk through an open-frame unit. The design is intended to move crowds faster and cut down on nuisance alarms, according to manufacturer CEIA…