Volusia schools preview ExtractOne weapon‑detection system and outline phased rollout at secondary campuses

Volusia County Schools officials on June 24 presented a pilot of the ExtractOne weapon‑detection gateway and described a phased plan to deploy the AI‑driven screening system at secondary campuses.

"This is a partnership," Mike McAuliffe, the district's executive director for grant assurance and student services, told the board as he introduced Captain Todd Smith and vendor representatives from CK2 Technologies. Kurt Arbuckle, CK2 president and chief operating officer, described ExtractOne as a Toronto‑based, non‑invasive weapon detection system that creates "unique signatures" for conductive objects and can distinguish everyday items from potential threats.

Bimbo Coles, CK2 representative who managed the pilot on district campuses, said the system is "advanced, discreet, and designed with schools in mind" and highlighted rapid setup, portability and the vendor's ability to tune detection rules to local conditions. He recounted Pine Ridge pilot results: early false alert rates were high on day one but dropped to single‑digit percentages after adjustments; he said the system learns and can be updated quickly by engineers.

Captain Todd Smith, director of safety and security, framed the gateway as one layer in a multi‑tier safety strategy: "The weapon detection system is one critical layer of our multi‑tiered strategy of support. Where our goal is 100% prevention, we must acknowledge that no single solution is foolproof." He noted the district recovered an average of about two firearms per year in recent years and said the district piloted both ExtractOne and another vendor to test throughput, staff requirements and student experience.

District staff described a phased implementation approach. Two schools already used pilot devices; staff recommended starting with pairs of secondary schools to refine the entry process and staffing model before expanding. McAuliffe and Captain Smith said the screening workflow will normally be set up at single point(s) of entry, with mobile units available and tables nearby to allow bag checks if a gateway alerts. They told the board that once staff and students know the routine, walkthroughs become quick: in pilot tests the team reduced throughput delays after initial adjustments and timed full‑campus entries in the pilot to manageable windows.

Board members asked detailed operational questions — about how quickly the AI can be tuned, how many devices larger high schools would need, and whether adults and visitors would also be required to walk through screening. Arbuckle and Coles said tuning typically can be done rapidly (often the next day) and that large schools would be configured with multiple gateways at the main points of entry; staff recommended adults model the behavior and said final decisions about who is required to be screened would be part of implementation planning.

Captain Smith said the district will phase the rollout, provide on‑site support during early days at each school, and not push district‑wide deployment until the phased trials demonstrate smooth throughput and staffing sufficiency. No vote was required; the item had been moved from action to presentation and will return as an action item at a later meeting once staff and vendors complete contract and operational details.

What comes next: staff said they plan phased procurement and deployment, with initial machines at pilot high schools, incremental staff training and procedures, and continued monitoring of false‑alert rates and throughput before broad deployment. The board asked staff to return with contract and implementation specifics for future action.