Buffalo High School teacher questions district's weapons detection system

Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - "Sadly, this is becoming common every year," Riverside High School teacher Marc Bruno told WBEN, the day after a 15 year old student was stabbed in a stairwell at McKinley High School and another 15 year old was arrested and charged with a felony.

Bruno has been outspoken on violence in schools and on the administration's handling of it.

He said he immediately thought about the district's security system.

Buffalo Public Schools began installing Evolv Weapons Detection Systems in all of its schools in 2023.

The cutting-edge system uses artificial intelligence and advanced imaging technology to detect weapons quickly and immediately alert authorities.

Bruno disagrees.

"This Evolv weapons detection system is not what the district says it is," he said.

"I know for a fact that students are smuggling weapons in, in their shoes. Sometimes the machines are not going off. At Riverside, a parent accidentally brought a knife through the detection system and then told the principal that he forgot he had a knife on his key chain."

It wasn't detected.

Bruno added that in his opinion traditional metal detectors are far less expensive and they actually detect weapons.

He wondered aloud, "Is the Evolv system really effective and is it giving a false sense of security in our schools?"

He also would like to see police in schools every day, in his words, "building relationships, rather than sitting outside in cars."

Meanwhile, former Buffalo school principal, Kevin Eberle, who is an education and school safety consultant, spoke to WBEN about the technology.

"The idea that you're going to catch everything because you have a system in place is a falsehood. The companies that are out there now are really looking at, unfortunately, mass casualties, so they're looking at bombs and guns. The system does pick up larger knives. The AI, artificial intelligence, is getting more advanced as we go."

Eberle said if people knew how many things get through the TSA at airports everyday, they'd be hesitant to fly.

Click below to hear the entire interview with Kevin Eberle.