<p>Metal detectors became mandatory last year for all Baltimore City public high schools, and now the school system is piloting a program of detectors that promise to be easier and less intrusive to use.</p> <p>The Board of School Commissioners voted this week to approve the use of&nbsp;<a class="Link" href="https://www.evolvtechnology.com/products/evolv-express" _mce_href="https://www.evolvtechnology.com/products/evolv-express">Evolv Express</a>&nbsp;metal detectors in four high schools this spring, which will cost about $229,000. They will be installed in Mervo (Mergenthaler) Vocational-Technical High School, Carver Vocational-Technical High School, Patterson High School, and Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High School.</p> <p>BCPS Chief of Schools John L. Davis, Jr., said:</p> <div class="Quote"> <blockquote>"You see these metal detectors in many different places in our community. You see them at stadiums, you see them at courthouses. So they're things that people are normally used to. But we're going to have to make sure we adapt it to all students, regardless of their needs, regardless of their situation."<br></blockquote> </div> <p><a class="Link" href="https://evolvtechnology.wistia.com/medias/1clynz578u" _mce_href="https://evolvtechnology.wistia.com/medias/1clynz578u">Evolv Express detectors</a>&nbsp;are currently in more than 26 districts nationwide, said the company. The system screens an average of 1 million people daily and uses a combination of artificial intelligence and advanced sensors to distinguish threats from personal items.</p>