Antioch High reopens Tuesday with AI security, counseling emphasis
- Antioch High School shooting last week killed two students, including the shooter, and injuring a third. Antioch High closed until Friday, Jan. 24.
- Antioch High to reopen its doors Tuesday, Jan. 28 with modified class and cafeteria schedule to prioritize counseling for students and for implementing new security system.
Rolling back its full closure following a deadly shooting on its campus this week, Antioch High School plans to reopen its doors on Tuesday, Jan. 28 with a modified schedule for students.
Metro Nashville Public Schools closed Antioch High on Thursday and Friday, and the closure will continue for students Monday.
The school will also implement a new security system, while prioritizing “the emotional well-being of students with grief counseling, mental health supports, restorative practices, and community-building activities,” an MNPS news release said Saturday morning.
The Jan. 22 shooting ended in the death of two students, including the gunman, and a third suffered injuries from a gunshot wound. Since the tragedy, Nashville community leaders and public officials have organized vigils and other events to honor the victim of the fatal shooting, 16-year-old Josselin Corea Escalante.
As part of the fallout in the wake of the tragedy, school district officials shared how artificial intelligence-powered weapon detection software, installed on cameras at Antioch High, failed to pick up on 17-year-old student Solomon Henderson’s gun when he entered campus that morning. In response to that breakdown with the Omnilert security system, MNPS announced the district is installing at Antioch High a different artificial intelligence-powered security system called Evolv.
“Antioch High will serve as a critical testing ground for this advanced technology, allowing us to assess its effectiveness as we explore funding opportunities to expand its use across more schools,” MNPS Director Adrienne Battle said in the district news release. “We look forward to learning valuable lessons from this pilot program to guide future decisions on expanding this technology to ensure safety across all of our schools.”
Students’ reentry to campus starting Tuesday will be part of the pilot test for Evolv. As part of that, “students should bring only essential items to school,” the school district said in the news release.
If Evolv flags any items on a student during a preliminary screening, that student may have to go through a secondary screening as a precaution.
Liam Adams covers religion for The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or on social media @liamsadams.
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