The Coffee County Board of Education convened in a special meeting at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, September 10, at 211 Gaskin Avenue South. The agenda included an executive session to discuss school safety and student discipline, followed by a vote on a purchase for the Coffee County Schools Safety Department.
Superintendent Dr. Morris Leis opened the meeting with an invocation, and the agenda was unanimously approved. Following a brief executive session, the board reconvened to address the purchase proposal.
Dr. Leis recommended the acquisition of 20 EVOLV weapon detection systems from Adapttosolve, Inc., at a cost of $1,636,576.30. The purchase will be funded through eSPLOST. These systems will be installed at the eight elementary schools, George Washington Carver Freshman Campus, and Wiregrass Regional College and Career Academy. Coffee High School and Coffee Middle School already have EVOLV systems in place.
The EVOLV system is designed to detect weapons and facilitate the efficient screening of large numbers of people entering schools or other venues such as concerts or sporting events. Dr. Leis highlighted the prevalence of EVOLV systems at concerts and professional sporting events, emphasizing their effectiveness in enhancing security. The system utilizes artificial intelligence to learn and improve its screening capabilities over time.
The Coffee County School System began using EVOLV at Coffee High School and Coffee Middle School last year and has been pleased with its performance.
The Board of Education unanimously approved the purchase. Dr. Leis expressed his gratitude to the board members and Chairman Adam Lott adjourned the meeting. He also extended his thanks to the attendees and the taxpayers of Coffee County for their support in approving the most recent Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST).