Where I Stand on the Pinellas Schools Weapon Detection Pilot

Candidate for Pinellas County School Board, District 3 (At Large)

As Pinellas County Schools begin piloting a new weapon detection system, a comment from a school board member stopped me:

“The first thing I think about is cost.”

And I understand that.

Cost matters. Budgets matter, especially in a district facing declining enrollment.

But as a parent with two kids in Pinellas County Schools, that’s not where my mind goes first.

Because when it comes to student safety, the first question can’t be about dollars.

It needs to be about reducing risk.

My First Question

When we talk about a weapon detection system in our schools, I start with this:

Does it actually help prevent potential violence?

If the answer is yes, then we move to the next question:

How will it impact how students and staff experience the school day?

And finally:

How do we implement it in a way that actually works?

Because once we start with the right question, everything else, including cost, gets evaluated through the right lens.

Why This Matters to Me

First and foremost, I’m a parent.

I want to know that when I drop my kids off at school, safety is a priority.

Not assumed. Not overlooked. A priority.

But I’ve also worked in this space.

I’ve been a case manager in Pinellas County. I’ve led an at-risk program. And today, I serve on a Circuit Advisory Board connected to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.

In those roles, we didn’t just ask if something was efficient.

We asked a harder question:

If the worst-case scenario happened, could we say we did everything we could to reduce the risk?

Because those moments don’t just impact outcomes, they define whether people trust you afterward.

What’s Happening Right Now

Pinellas County Schools are piloting a weapon detection program at two high schools, with the potential to expand it district-wide.

That’s the decision in front of us.

And the concerns being raised are valid:

• Cost

• Staffing

• Long lines

• Student experience

Those questions should be asked.

But they should be asked alongside the reality we’re operating in.

In Pinellas County:

• 16% of youth arrests are school-related

• 84% happen in the community

And across Florida, roughly 1.2 million firearms are purchased each year.

Even if we want to believe these numbers reflect what’s happening outside our schools, they can’t be completely separated from what’s happening around them.

And any decision we make about safety has to reflect that.

Let’s Address the Elephant in the Room

There’s a real concern behind all of this:

How will this feel?

Will increased security make schools feel less welcoming? Will it hurt relationships? Will it create stigma?

Those are fair questions.

I’ve seen that firsthand.

When I ran an at-risk program, we introduced a policy where every client was wanded before entry.

There was immediate pushback.

Concerns about perception. About rapport. About labeling.

But something important happened.

When it was applied consistently to everyone, it changed the dynamic.

It wasn’t about targeting anymore. It became structure, not stigma.

We see this every day in hospitals, sporting events, and theme parks.

Security exists, but it doesn’t define the environment.

How it’s implemented does.

And perception works both ways.

Some people will see increased security and assume something is wrong. Others will see it as a sign that safety is being taken seriously.

But here’s the part we can’t ignore:

If a preventable incident occurs, perception won’t be shaped by whether security was present…it will be shaped by whether we did everything we reasonably could to reduce the risk.

And in a district already facing enrollment challenges, that matters.

This Has to Be Done Right

This is a pilot.

That means we don’t assume. We measure.

We need to look at:

• Does it actually improve safety?

• Does it reduce risk?

• Does it create unintended challenges like delays or staffing strain?

Then we evaluate.

And then we decide next steps.

Because if we’re going to expand something like this, it should be based on results, not assumptions.

Where I Stand

When it comes to school safety, cost will always be part of the discussion, just not the starting point.

We must take real, measurable steps to improve safety in our schools, and recognize that this is an ongoing effort that must adapt as conditions change.

That includes exploring weapon detection systems as one layer of protection, if they prove effective.

But it also means holding ourselves to a higher standard:

• Implement it the right way

• Support it properly

• Measure the results

• Make decisions based on what actually works

Because when it comes to safety, doing something isn’t enough.

We have to make sure we’re doing the right thing.

Final Thought

If you’re a parent, you want to know your child is safe when you drop them off in the morning.

If you’re a teacher or staff member, you want to know you’re walking into a building where safety is taken seriously.

That’s not political. That’s personal.

We can create environments that are both safe and supportive.

But only if we stay focused on what actually protects students and the people who serve them every day.

Because at the end of the day…

this isn’t just about cost.

It’s about the people we’re responsible for, and the reasoning behind the decisions we make to protect them.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of Curtis Campogni, Candidate for Pinellas County School Board, District 3 (At Large), and do not represent the official position of any organization or governing body.