City, DCPS pronounces partnership with company specializing in security doors, glass

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

The college district hired a New York company named Armoured One, which specializes in doorways and glass and claims it will possibly slow down or prevent a shooter from getting right into a classroom.

Those are essential elements after police in Texas decided the door accessed by the gunman at Robb Elementary Faculty in Uvalde was closed however not locked. Initially, state police stated a trainer left the door propped open. Investigators concluded the teacher truly closed the door, but it surely didn’t lock routinely prefer it was purported to. The gunman shot and killed 19 college students and two lecturers before he was killed by regulation enforcement.

Armoured One, which was founded after the Sandy Hook Elementary Faculty taking pictures, is made up of former army and law enforcement agents who study 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 assets can finest compliment the coaching already supplied, including their resources to the training instruments and resources the district already uses,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry mentioned Wednesday afternoon at a news convention at City Hall to announce the partnership.

Press the play button instantly beneath to observe all the information convention.

The safety glass and film that Armoured One invented can stand up to a number of hits -- whether or not that’s bullets, someone ramming into the glass or utilizing different objects or weapons -- without breaking, which might slow an attacker. The doors it makes use of have metallic framing, latch bolts and deadbolts.

Armoured One is also recognized for providing active shooter coaching and assessments. The company issues particular person reports for every building and recommends the best tools to use for each facility it’s working with.

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Curry mentioned he plans to search out the funding for that coaching but in addition work with the company to carry out school safety assessments. Armoured One CEO Tom Czyz said his staff knows what to look for when it assesses a school’s vulnerability.

“They’re taking a look at methods to slow down an attacker and pace up police response,” Czyz stated. “How will we gradual him down -- and then velocity up the response that will stop him.”

Duval County Public Faculties Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene and Duval County Faculty Police Division Chief Greg Burton say security and safety are prime of thoughts every single day.

What I need to be common is that our households know that we're ready each day. And that’s what we work in the direction of being a greater school district because it pertains to safety and safety,” Green stated.

Burton stated, “I would say the one phrase that summarizes every thing that we do is vigilance.”

Greene mentioned that the district’s best defense is its students and workers. She said she continues to encourage the school group to report something 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 permitted a half-cent sales tax in November 2020 with the specific function of replacing growing older schools, repairing an enormous backlog of maintenance points, and bolstering school safety.

Proper now, 74 initiatives are within the design section and 15 are below construction.

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

Over its 15-year life, the sales tax is projected to generate $64.9 million for the specific function of upgrading school safety in DCPS faculties.

More information about how that money is deliberate to be spent in particular person colleges might be discovered on the college district’s half-cent sales tax data dashboard.

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The next record of safety measures is printed on the varsity district’s web site:

Each school has a safety plan and emergency response team.

All college classrooms are locked when occupied by college students.

College plans are reviewed with staff each semester.

The district has a extremely skilled school police division, giving all colleges direct access to highschool resource officers.

The district makes use of various major security monitoring strategies including digital camera surveillance and monitored managed entry techniques.

All schools and district workplaces have a District Emergency Communications Community radio with direct access to school police and district leadership. Faculty Police have direct access to JSO.

All faculties conduct regular evacuation drills (fire drills).

All colleges conduct regular emergency and lockdown (“code red” and “code yellow”) drills.

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