Lightridge High School, along with other high schools in Loudoun County, are installing new cameras that utilize an AI software package called VOLT AI. This software has been implemented into schools after a successful pilot program at Heritage. 

VOLT AI is used to identify threats that are happening in school like fights and is supposed to identify weapons. When the AI identifies something out of the ordinary, it will alert the admin, SRO, and SSOs via a web app. 

There are concerns about this software identifying something as a threat when it is not.

“We would speak with the student first (before action was take),” said principal Dr. Ryan Hitchman. “Similar to what we’re doing right now, if someone has a vape or if we suspect someone has something here at school that they should not have with them.”

After a successful pilot program at Heritage, LCPS invested $1.1 million dollars into this software for this year.

“It went very well,” said Noel Green, Heritage High School’s Lead SSO, regarding the pilot program. “There were some hiccups at first, but then everything went really well as the provider was able to work out the bugs.”

“It’s just another tool in the toolbox to make schools safer,” said Green, “and have somebody watching all the different things at all the different times.”