At the latest Lexington-Richland School District Five board meeting, members learned about safety upgrades the district is implementing. 

Included in the approved 2024 bond referendum are security upgrades for schools, including Ballentine Elementary School, Chapin Elementary School, Dutch Fork Elementary, H.E. Corley Elementary School, Chapin Intermediate School, Chapin Middle School, Irmo Middle School, Irmo High School, Spring Hill High School, Adult Education and Academy for Success.

The entrance upgrades will require visitors to enter through a single point of entry before accessing the building and will enhance the security camera systems on every district campus.

Lead safety officer Ross Wise told board members that two platforms, CrisisGo and ZeroEyes, are collaborating.

Lexington-Richland School District Five uses the platform CrisisGo, which allows schools to communicate with one another quickly and easily. This also alerts and notifies first responders during an emergency.

ZeroEyes is an AI gun detection software that allows first responders to narrow down where the individual who poses a threat is located on the school campus.

ZeroEyes was founded in 2018 by a team of Navy SEALs and technologists following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting. The founders are all parents wanting to find a way to decrease school shootings and keep students and staff safe.

“The whole goal of this software system is to be proactive in the sense that it gives us more time in an advanced situation and advanced notice to go into lockdown,’’ Wise said. “This inevitably keeps our schools and our students safer.” 

The collaboration between CrisisGo and ZeroEyes reduces response time during a threat, experts say. ZeroEyes analyzes still images to detect weapons.  Within seconds, workers in the ZeroEyes operation center dispatch alerts including a notification of the situation, the map location of the incident and an image of the detection. These alerts are sent to both the customer and local law enforcement. 

Jenny Garris, director of technology at Lexington-Richland Five, told board members that ZeroEyes does not store personally identifiable information and it only detects weapons. 

For security reasons, additional details on security upgrades will remain in executive session in order not to compromise the capabilities of the system.

CNN reported that there had been eight school shootings in the United States as of March 19.

Everytown Research & Policy stated that implementing crisis intervention programs, enhancing school security, informing parents about secure gun storage, ensuring sufficient mental health counselors and fostering a safe and trusting climate can play a vital role in keeping schools, staff and students safe.