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

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…