A $1 million gun detection system is being delivered to a Pennsylvania school district, weeks after a gun fear at one of the high schools.
In a vote Tuesday night, the Upper Darby School Board approved a measure to install the new security systems at Upper Darby High School and Drexel Hill and Beverly Hills high schools.
According to the school district, the gun detection system uses artificial intelligence to scan for weapons.
Last week, Superintendent Daniel McGarry said students would walk between a set of metal poles and if a student was carrying any compacted metal, an orange box would appear on the screen to alert security. He added that the system would also alert security to items such as Chromebooks, eyeglass cases, three-ring book binders and umbrellas.
McGarry said the gun detection system is “not a metal detector.” The superintendent said it is the same technology used at Lincoln Financial Field.
The proposal has been in the works for years, but has received renewed attention after two recent gun incidents in the district.
McGarry said a UDHS student brought a gun to school on Sept. 3 and another student brought an AR-15-style magazine 10 days later.
The security upgrade will cost the school district $1.1 million.
Massachusetts-based security technology company Evolv makes the sensors, which can detect a variety of weapons, from AR-15-style rifles and pipe guns to shotguns and handguns.
