City, DCPS declares partnership with company specializing in security doorways, glass

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The town of Jacksonville and Duval County college district on Wednesday introduced a brand new plan to keep children safe within the classroom.

The college district employed a New York company named Armoured One, which makes a speciality of doorways and glass and claims it may possibly decelerate or stop a shooter from getting into a classroom.

These are essential elements after police in Texas determined the door accessed by the gunman at Robb Elementary Faculty in Uvalde was closed however not locked. Initially, state police mentioned a teacher left the door propped open. Investigators concluded the trainer really closed the door, but it surely didn’t lock automatically like it was speculated to. The gunman shot and killed 19 students and two lecturers earlier than he was killed by law enforcement.

Armoured One, which was founded after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, is made up of former army and law enforcement agents who examine mass capturing assaults and consult on school safety measures.

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“We are going to first work collaboratively to determine the place Armoured One sources can greatest compliment the coaching already supplied, including their assets to the training tools and assets the district already uses,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry mentioned Wednesday afternoon at a information convention at Metropolis Corridor to announce the partnership.

Press the play button instantly beneath to look at all the information convention.

The security glass and film that Armoured One invented can stand up to a number of hits -- whether that’s bullets, someone ramming into the glass or utilizing different objects or weapons -- with out breaking, which may slow an attacker. The doorways it uses have metal framing, latch bolts and deadbolts.

Armoured One is also identified for providing energetic shooter training and assessments. The company issues particular person studies for each building and recommends the very best gear to make use of for every facility it’s working with.

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Curry stated he plans to seek out the funding for that coaching but also work with the company to carry out faculty safety assessments. Armoured One CEO Tom Czyz stated his workforce knows what to look for when it assesses a college’s vulnerability.

“They’re looking at methods to slow down an attacker and velocity up police response,” Czyz stated. “How can we sluggish him down -- after which velocity up the response that would cease him.”

Duval County Public Colleges Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene and Duval County College Police Division Chief Greg Burton say safety and security are top of mind day by day.

What I wish to be widespread is that our families know that we are ready each and every day. And that’s what we work in direction of being a greater faculty district because it pertains to security and security,” Green stated.

Burton stated, “I might say the one phrase that summarizes the whole lot that we do is vigilance.”

Greene stated that the district’s greatest defense is its college students and workers. She stated she continues to encourage the college community to report anything they see that’s suspicious.

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As far as the fee, it’s unclear proper now, because the partnership remains to be being worked out.

Duval County voters accredited a half-cent gross sales tax in November 2020 with the precise function of replacing growing old faculties, repairing an enormous backlog of maintenance issues, and bolstering college security.

Right now, 74 projects are in the design part and 15 are under building.

As of January 2022, the tax has generated greater than $118 million dollars, with more than $5.7 million already spent or allocated to projects underneath building.

Over its 15-year life, the gross sales tax is projected to generate $64.9 million for the specific purpose of upgrading school security in DCPS colleges.

More details about how that cash is deliberate to be spent in individual faculties might be found on the varsity district’s half-cent gross sales tax info dashboard.

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The next record of safety measures is printed on the school district’s website:

Each school has a security plan and emergency response staff.

All college lecture rooms are locked when occupied by college students.

Faculty plans are reviewed with workers every semester.

The district has a extremely skilled faculty police department, giving all colleges direct access to highschool useful resource officers.

The district makes use of varied major safety monitoring methods together with camera surveillance and monitored managed access techniques.

All colleges and district places of work have a District Emergency Communications Network radio with direct entry to highschool police and district leadership. Faculty Police have direct entry to JSO.

All colleges conduct regular evacuation drills (fire drills).

All schools conduct common emergency and lockdown (“code purple” and “code yellow”) drills.

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