Chartiers Valley to deploy AI school safety platform

Chartiers Valley School District will work with a Carnegie Mellon University spinout to deploy a threat detection system at district buildings.

School directors on Tuesday, Oct. 28 approved a five-year contract with CurvePoint for the Wi-AI Perimeter Threat Detection system.

Wi-AI transforms standard Wi-Fi signals into a real-time safety system that detects concealed weapons, movement patterns and potential threats without cameras or facial recognition, according to CurvePoint. It was developed from CMU research.

The technology uses advanced AI models to interpret how Wi-Fi signals reflect off people and objects, letting it “see what cameras can’t,” according to CurvePoint.

Wi-AI can detect concealed weapons and suspicious movement while maintaining full student privacy, according to CurvePoint. There is nothing identifiable about the students, the technology just shows outlines of figures.

“Student safety is always our top priority,” said Chartiers Valley Superintendent Daniel Castagna. “Parents want to know their children are protected, not watched. Wi-AI gives us that balance. It detects threats early, fits seamlessly into our existing network and most importantly, keeps our students’ privacy intact.”

Skip Smith, CEO of CurvePoint, said the partnership is a “game changer” for how schools think about safety.

“For too long, districts have been forced to choose between security and privacy,” Smith said. “Wi-AI allows them to have both. By using everyday Wi-Fi technology, we’re giving them a cost-effective way to detect potential threats early without facial recognition or profiling.”

Chartiers Valley officials say they’re the first district in the country to deploy the Wi-AI system. The weapon detection software will be in all district buildings.

“Chartiers Valley is proud to lead the way with this transformational innovation,” said Darren Mariano, school board president. “The safety of our students and staff is always our top priority, and partnering with CurvePoint allows us to enhance security in a smart, responsible and privacy-focused way.

“We’re thrilled to be the first district in the nation to implement this groundbreaking technology.”