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Anderson 01 board reviews ALICE drills, Raptor alerts and AI weapons-detection bids
Summary
Administrators briefed the board on ALICE active-threat training, a Raptor phone-based alert system and possible AI-enabled weapons-detection cameras; staff outlined capabilities, limitations and preliminary cost estimates, and the board agreed to further research portable open-gate systems.
Administrators outlined the district’s layered approach to school safety, describing annual ALICE ("Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate") training for staff and students and presenting new technology options for earlier detection of armed intruders.
"Alice stands for alert lock down in counter and evacuate," Administrator Dr Wison said, summarizing the components of the district’s approach and emphasizing that staff train teachers and students each year to respond to active-threat situations. He said the district teaches evacuation when safe, lockdown and, for older students, distraction and defensive actions if there is no other option.
Administrators also described a phone-based Raptor alert system that teachers can activate from a classroom and an integration plan with the district’s camera network. "We will be introducing you to our new Raptor system…any teacher in our building would have the ability to call an alert and shut down the building," Dr Wison said.
On technology procurement, staff described an AI-capable camera system that can flag visible weapons and certain behavior patterns and send alerts to resource officers. Officials said the system can recognize the barrel of a gun or abnormal movement patterns and then feed alerts into the Raptor platform to speed response. Dr Wison described plans to rotate advanced cameras through middle and high schools first.
Board members also discussed portable ‘‘open-gate’’ weapon-detection systems for athletic events. Staff gave preliminary cost ranges: individual portable pairs of detection units were described in the transcript as leading to roughly $80,000 for multiple sets, with vendor services and staffing estimated between $50,000 and $100,000 a year depending on usage. Staff said those estimates included vendor-provided operators who are trained and deputized to perform searches and that ongoing vendor costs reflect staffing needs.
Several board members asked about limits of the technology. "Is it just for visible weapons?" a board member asked. Administration replied that current systems primarily detect visible weapons, though some vendors use behavioral analytics; more advanced concealed-weapon detection exists but is significantly more expensive.
No procurement decision was recorded in the meeting. During discussion a board member requested a research motion to pursue bids and pricing for open-gate systems and event deployment; the transcript records direction to research further rather than a final purchase vote.
The district said next steps will include obtaining vendor bids, clarifying operational costs and defining staffing or contracted-provider arrangements needed to operate detection systems at events and select campuses.
