Pittsburgh Public Schools is the second-largest school district in the state of Pennsylvania, serving approximately 25,000 students from pre-kindergarten through Grade 12 and providing a safe environment for those students to learn and grow is paramount.
The Pirates offered a helping hand in that regard on Tuesday by donating metal detection equipment -- specifically 30 CEIA PMD2 weatherproof, walk-through metal detectors and 30 divesting tables that were previously used at PNC Park -- to Pittsburgh Public Schools. The equipment, valued at more than $250,000, became available after the Pirates installed new Evolv screening technology at the ballpark prior to Opening Day this year.
“As we had those metal detectors on hand after we put in the new technology, we were wondering where we could put these to good use,” said Pirates president Travis Williams. “It’s great technology and if we were able to provide those to somebody, who better than the school system? The Pirates have a longstanding history with Pittsburgh Public Schools, and this is just another extension of that.”
“This is a great investment and a great partnership with the Pittsburgh Pirates,” said Michael McNamara, chief operations officer for Pittsburgh Public Schools. “A lot of our metal detectors are aging out, so we’re in the process of starting to replace them. This will really help us do a good refresh at our buildings.”
The Evolv screening technology, which features artificial intelligence, allows fans to walk through the entry points of PNC Park without stopping and without sacrificing any safety measures. The metal detectors that were used previously remain highly effective, but Evolv makes it faster and easier for thousands of fans to enter the ballpark.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our children,” Williams said. “We are proud to support the efforts that Pittsburgh Public School officials, administrators and faculty put in every day to ensure our kids have a safe and healthy place to learn.
“Unfortunately, in today’s world, you need to have this type of protection in place. Knowing the school system is doing its best to protect students and being able to lend a hand, we’re very proud to be able to do that.”
“We’re grateful to the Pirates for this donation that will support the safety measures we have in place,” McNamara said. “The staff, the students and everybody in the buildings really appreciate this. This is a very big deal to us.”