SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – News 6 is learning it was more than a clarinet that put a middle school in Seminole County on lockdown earlier this month.
On Dec. 9, police rushed to Lawton Chiles Middle School after an AI weapons detection system spotted a student with what looked like a gun. When officers reviewed the security cameras, they noticed the suspected weapon was a band instrument.
A police report obtained by News 6 Thursday reveals more details about why law enforcement was concerned about a possible threat. The boy seen on school security cameras holding the clarinet “in the position of a shouldered rifle” was also dressed in camo and wearing a tactical vest. The student was apparently dressed in a military-style costume as part of a themed dress-up day at school, according to the report.
“It wasn’t a child in street clothes,” said Kylee Ciullo, a parent who reached out to News 6. “It was a child in what kids tell me is military attire.”
[WATCH: Seminole County unveils new weapon detection system for Oviedo High School]
Kylee Ciullo told our News 6 team that she appreciated the information that was sent to parents quickly about the lockdown, but she believes the district could be more transparent.
A spokesperson provided the message that was sent by school administration to families about the lockdown, which mentioned “a student holding a musical instrument as if it were a weapon,” but mentions nothing about what he was wearing.
“That information was not released to parents,” said Ciullo. “Because of that, the community at large has no idea what occurred. And everyone is joking that the system didn’t work, joking that ‘oh my goodness, if someone has a tuba, everything’s going to stop.’ I am concerned that we’re not telling parents or the community that ZeroEyes did its job.”
News 6 has reported on the use of ZeroEyes technology in Seminole County Public Schools and other districts in Central Florida.
In August, law enforcement in Volusia County explained how it works. The system uses artificial intelligence to scan live video feeds for objects that look like weapons. When a potential gun is spotted, images are then sent to the company’s headquarters, where a real person verifies whether the weapon is real.
[WATCH: Volusia County using AI to detect guns on school campuses]
Captain Todd Smith with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office called it “cutting-edge technology.”
“We’re always keeping our foot on the gas, trying to make sure that our kids are safe, and we’re doing everything we can to keep them safe,” Smith said in August.
The technology has become increasingly popular, but not without mistakes. Body camera video from Baltimore shows officers confronting a student with a suspected weapon in October. What A.I. flagged as a gun turned out to be a bag of chips.
Ciullo said she believes in the technology and hopes the district will be more transparent about what happened and why.
“I’m already seeing articles where people are asking why we even have ZeroEyes, why we’re spending the money, why we’re prioritizing it, and that’s why I’m concerned,” said Ciullo. “What occurred was serious enough that a professional thought the school should go into lockdown.”
According to the police report from the incident at Lawton Chiles Middle School, dispatch notified responding officers that, upon further review of the school security cameras, the suspected weapon was likely an instrument.
News 6 reached out to SCPS to ask if they believe the technology worked as intended in this case. Ciullo shared the response she got from the superintendent, which states the safety system worked as intended. It also says the communications that were sent to families followed the district’s protocols.
You can read the message that was sent to families on Dec. 9 below:
Dear Chiles Middle School Families, Students, and Staff,
I wanted to send a follow-up and share with you what prompted the brief Code Red on our campus. As you know, we have multiple layers of school safety, including an automated system that detects potential threats. A student was walking in the hallway, holding a musical instrument as if it were a weapon, which triggered the Code Red to activate. While there was no threat to campus, I’d like to ask you to speak with your student about the dangers of pretending to have a weapon on a school campus.
We are thankful for the quick response by our law enforcement partners, and our students and staff following our safety protocols.
As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly.
Dr. Laudani