[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6611749,"mediaKeyId","2892958-d02fcb189b25e84c356ea03fa2b95c4f","parentId",2892958,"title","Parent urges cameras and audio in special‑education classrooms after son refuses to enter school","audioSeconds",229,"startMs",2209000,"endMs",2438000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2892958-d02fcb189b25e84c356ea03fa2b95c4f&start=2209&end=2438","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2892958-d02fcb189b25e84c356ea03fa2b95c4f/thumbnail_2209000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6611749/North-Carolina/Parent-urges-cameras-and-audio-in-specialeducation-classrooms-after-son-refuses-to-enter-school","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6611749-b7b1cdf623c7e6c024af8090bd3f869e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169670&Signature=nIe5zR88~rpgJQ9gZdiSx7Y52ZByekIS9FWGvVDmOj1Z~5mM5EGX-RWs0M8Ys-BktSg4oRWb37Pbva01Y7kk3zwEEuJW~emeW0aitt4Cdfgv3eRUyCra50DlE7l-R2hL0oCSuFKYYQue-7D41fex0GDwnyFypJkhxPAot9nsYjK2oipmzKl9ld~pmMb0G9muGn-7lkdsjlWTjnHd6FCf4nR68GNI7cxdpF1~nFFz~JB~O8369-qZpttb2uH5HMLhmSOwseRLtM6YwgW4fqhTREM3W7TgHr56G2VWOeFAKiIFIIyHCwhBYAd~32Ecn-uq9lh5uS-frjHsPc8sij5Hig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Pitt County Schools","date","2025-04-08T00:16:28.02Z","article","Robert O'Neil, a parent, addressed the Pitt County Board of Education during the public expression period to request cameras and audio in all exceptional children (EC) classrooms for nonverbal students.

O'Neil described his son, a nonverbal student at Farmville Central High School, and said the student has repeatedly refused to enter school. \"He will not go into the school. He'll get out. He'll stand on the sidewalk out front. He will not step his foot in that front door,\" O'Neil said, describing attendance struggles that began in middle school and recurred in high school.

O'Neil said the family has pursued IEP meetings and homebound services and that the process to obtain homebound services felt slow. He asked the board for cameras and audio in EC classrooms so \"all students that is nonverbal will have a voice besides their silent voice,\" adding that the recorded material would help his son and other nonverbal students be better understood.

The board's public‑comment rules were read before the remarks; the chair reminded the speaker when his five minutes expired and the board did not discuss or act on the request during the meeting. The transcript records the request and the board's rules that public expression is for comments only and that the board will not respond during the comment period.

What was said

- \"I have a nonverbal son that goes to Farmville Central High School. So I'm here to speak for him because he is nonverbal in your EC class,\" O'Neil said.

- \"I'm requesting cameras and audio to be put in all EC classes so that all students that is nonverbal will have a voice besides their silent voice,\" he concluded within his allotted time.

No formal action recorded

The transcript does not show board discussion or any immediate follow‑up action on the request. Board members later thanked public speakers and encouraged continued engagement; the transcript notes the board will listen but will not respond during the public expression period.

Background and context

O'Neil said his son's attendance has been tracked through IEP processes and that he received homebound services after a teacher volunteered that another class could host the student for an hour. He said the student had attended school only \"12 times in the last year,\" a figure he presented in IEP discussions to argue for homebound services. The district and board did not offer a response on record to the request for cameras and audio during the meeting.

Source: Public expression remarks by Robert O'Neil at the Pitt County Board of Education meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","April 7th 2025, Pitt County Schools Board Meeting Begins at 06:30 p.m.","oneSentenceSummary","A Pitt County parent told the school board his nonverbal son has repeatedly refused to enter school and asked the board to install cameras and audio in all exceptional children (EC) classrooms so nonverbal students \"have a voice.\"","taxTitle","Pitt County Schools, School Districts, North Carolina","taxId",14093,"location","North Carolina","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6611754,"Pitt County school board OKs $140,437 contract for vape/THC detectors, adopts resolution on partisan elections",450,2732000,3182000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2892958-d02fcb189b25e84c356ea03fa2b95c4f&start=2732&end=3182","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2892958-d02fcb189b25e84c356ea03fa2b95c4f/thumbnail_2732000.jpg","/articles/6611754/North-Carolina/Pitt-County-school-board-OKs-140437-contract-for-vapeTHC-detectors-adopts-resolution-on-partisan-elections","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6611754-d1abf278d28a8c9831478ed3d2b941dc/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169670&Signature=mfhtby6wwxf7~f7SpAEUAn9dTdQctCJ~Inq2KUqpZEC~M0hPlTt7ZYSazayqBRKulNA1m~jQ7DGkZBtltsrVJD7vD7-Tzo8UKPcE9WcNUX3qWAGssD-7XLKZXCLmyn29A84lc~frZGZe44MKSy2bGbu~9FrmVwK8kg4~OMdfHco8PyNvDzgtiDOmcp1ZC5uVCdWngUNVjObX-p3wbhQIaFu76j3YBd-~ZLIsMGw7mk3QvW6ttun4QLzGT9FHxepPJ1-q~9mkwhd1sI5exCYvnz3LNUfbwc9PAQxQ~tTb9FTGpvyezWNmqFJ7VCXacAqHRF2TKkyBUEWKjskNJW0jbQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Pitt County Board of Education on Tuesday approved a $140,437.50 contract with BridgeTech Solutions LLC, doing business as Lockstep Technology Group, to buy and operate 105 Triton Ultra vape detectors under a five‑year subscription plan for the district's six high schools.

The board also took a separate vote to adopt a resolution opposing conversion of school board elections to partisan ballots.

District staff said the Triton Ultra devices will be placed in restrooms and locker rooms at each high school and will detect vaping aerosols and, in the Ultra model selected, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Erin Erickson, the district's executive director of operations, told the board the devices were chosen in part because the Ultra model allows groups of four units to be daisy‑chained, lowering installation wiring costs across the project. \"We are seeking board approval to contract for a 5 year subscription ... to purchase the Triton ... Ultra model, for $140,437.50,\" Erickson said. She added the detectors will be installed in \"all the restrooms and the locker rooms.\"

Erickson said the purchase will be paid from the district's settlement fund and that a middle‑school pilot had reduced plumbing calls related to concealed vape pens. \"Before we installed these devices as a pilot program at one of our middle schools, the number of calls for that school dropped to 2 for the entire year after that,\" Erickson said, comparing that to prior levels of multiple plumbing calls per day at some schools.

Board members asked about behavioral responses and long‑term costs. A board member asked how repeat offenders would be handled; Erickson and other staff described an educational approach used in some schools that pairs counseling and curriculum with the district's code of conduct for students who do not respond to education. The board also asked about subscription costs after the initial five‑year term; staff said future subscription pricing was not specified at the time of the vote. Staff described the devices as having a five‑year warranty and an expected operational life similar to smoke detectors, with replacement likely in seven to 10 years.

On the partisan‑elections resolution, board members expressed differing views during the meeting and in closing remarks. The board recorded a motion and vote to adopt a resolution opposing a proposal to convert school board elections to partisan ballots; the transcript records the motion, a second and a vote but does not provide a roll‑call tally.

Votes at a glance

- Purchase of Triton Ultra vape/THC detectors, BridgeTech Solutions LLC (dba Lockstep Technology Group): approved. Price: $140,437.50; scope: 105 devices for six high schools; funding: district settlement fund; contract: five‑year subscription. Motion carried.

- Resolution opposing conversion of school board elections to partisan ballots: approved. Motion carried (vote tally not specified in the record).

- Consent agenda (minutes, personnel, budget readings and other routine items): approved. Motion carried.

What the board said

Erickson framed the purchase as both preventative and educational, noting the devices trigger a text alert to administrators and the school resource officer when activated. \"It's not to get anybody in trouble. It's really to educate them ... and to prevent damage to the school buildings themselves,\" she said. Board members described existing educational interventions at some schools that have reduced vaping incidents and said the district will continue to apply the student code of conduct when education does not resolve the behavior.

The board discussed but did not set a districtwide new discipline policy during the meeting; members said existing educational programs and the code of conduct will guide responses to incidents.

Funding and implementation

District staff said the installation will require wiring and that the chosen model reduces long‑term installation costs because it supports daisy‑chaining. Staff said the subscription price beyond the initial five years was not known at the time of purchase. The district expects to keep device wiring and upgrade detectors as technology evolves.

Next steps

Staff will finalize contract paperwork with BridgeTech/Lockstep and begin scheduling installations. The transcript does not specify exact installation dates or a project timeline beyond board approval.

Sources: Pitt County Schools board meeting transcript (public presentation by Erin Erickson), board motions and votes recorded at the meeting.","The Pitt County Board of Education approved a five-year contract to install 105 Triton Ultra vape detectors in six high schools and adopted a resolution opposing conversion of school board elections to partisan ballots; the detector purchase is funded from a settlement fund.","actionData","errors"]

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Parent urges cameras and audio in special‑education classrooms after son refuses to enter school

Pitt County school board OKs $140,437 contract for vape/THC detectors, adopts resolution on partisan elections