First it was AI, then drones, and now it’s an app that’s supposed to keep our kids safe in schools. The latest tech solution is called Owl for Schools, and it’s rolling out in a handful of Wyoming classrooms. The idea is that during the opening moments of a shooting, teachers and administrators can mark if they’re safe, if someone’s been hit, or if they’ve seen or heard the gunman. The app then generates a map of the shooter’s possible location and gives real-time instructions based on a school’s protocol.

The concept sounds polished on paper, but anyone who has lived through or studied an active shooter situation knows one thing. Chaos rules. People scream, run, hide, and freeze. A teacher may not be able to grab their phone or tablet, let alone open an app and start clicking options. Wi-Fi or Bluetooth could fail under stress or simply not connect. Even the device itself could lock up or lag. In those minutes, seconds matter, and the best-case scenario rarely unfolds the way a product demo suggests.

This app, like so many others, feels like another Silicon Valley experiment wrapped in the language of safety. It comes free to schools now, thanks to donations, but one has to wonder how long before it becomes another line item pitched to school boards and state legislators as a “must-have” security expense. It smacks of tech entrepreneurs circling for a government handout rather than a real answer to the crisis.

There’s also a security issue no one seems to be talking about. If teachers are reporting their locations, medical emergencies, and shooter sightings in real time, that data becomes highly sensitive. If the app isn’t hardened against hacking or misuse, a bad actor could spoof false reports, disrupt response efforts, or even gain access to school floor plans and emergency protocols. When lives are on the line, the last thing anyone needs is an unreliable or compromised system.

And, of course, it leaves untouched the actual problem: guns ending up in the hands of people determined to commit mass murder. No algorithm, app, or flashing screen changes that reality. While developers look for new ways to monetize school safety, families will continue to bury their children until the country confronts the deeper issue.

(Source)

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