The Racine Unified School District is expanding its weapons detection system in an effort to protect more students at the door.
The district is spending about $700,000 to bring the weapons detection system to nine more schools in Racine through September.
“It really was a no-brainer,” RUSD School Safety and Security Director Eric Oertel said.
According to Oertel the district first installed the security system at five of their schools about a year and a half ago and since incidents involving weapons have drastically dropped.
Oertel said while those are exactly the kinds of things they want to see; he believes it’s not just about the numbers.
"It's even more about the perceived safety," he explained. "We want people to not just be safe, we want people to feel safe."
Watch; Racine is expanding its weapons detection systems:
The Evolve Weapons Detection System uses artificial intelligence AI, screening for shape, density, and material, to detect anything that could threaten students.
Once the nine additional schools are outfitted with the system, students as young as kindergarten will be subject to the checkpoint.
Oertel said the concern there is older students could potentially use younger students to carry weapons undetected into shared schools, meaning K-8.
He said it was unfortunate but a reality school officials must consider.
He also said they’ve taken steps to normalize the security screenings with the younger students.
“The same system we use here at our school is in Disney theme parks,” he said. “The happiest place on earth.”
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