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

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The city of Jacksonville and Duval County school district on Wednesday announced a new plan to keep kids secure in the classroom.

The college district hired a New York company named Armoured One, which focuses on doors and glass and claims it may decelerate or stop a shooter from getting into a classroom.

These are essential factors after police in Texas determined the door accessed by the gunman at Robb Elementary College in Uvalde was closed but not locked. Initially, state police stated a trainer left the door propped open. Investigators concluded the teacher actually closed the door, nevertheless it didn’t lock mechanically like it was speculated to. The gunman shot and killed 19 students and two lecturers before he was killed by regulation enforcement.

Armoured One, which was founded after the Sandy Hook Elementary School taking pictures, is made up of former navy and regulation enforcement brokers who study mass capturing assaults and seek the advice of on school security measures.

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“We will first work collaboratively to determine where Armoured One sources can best praise the training already supplied, including their resources to the coaching tools and resources the district already makes use of,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry stated Wednesday afternoon at a news convention at Metropolis Corridor to announce the partnership.

Press the play button immediately below to look at the whole news convention.

The safety glass and movie that Armoured One invented can withstand several hits -- whether that’s bullets, somebody ramming into the glass or using other objects or weapons -- with out breaking, which might slow an attacker. The doors it makes use of have metal framing, latch bolts and deadbolts.

Armoured One is also known for providing active shooter training and assessments. The company issues individual stories for each building and recommends the very best gear to use for every facility it’s working with.

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Curry said he plans to find the funding for that coaching but also work with the company to carry out college safety assessments. Armoured One CEO Tom Czyz mentioned his group is aware of what to look for when it assesses a school’s vulnerability.

“They’re looking at methods to decelerate an attacker and speed up police response,” Czyz mentioned. “How will we sluggish him down -- and then velocity up the response that might cease him.”

Duval County Public Colleges Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene and Duval County College Police Department Chief Greg Burton say safety and security are prime of thoughts every single day.

What I wish to be frequent is that our households know that we are ready every day. And that’s what we work in direction of being a greater college district as it pertains to security and safety,” Green stated.

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

Greene said that the district’s finest protection is its college students and workers. She said she continues to encourage the school community to report something they see that’s suspicious.

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So far as the fee, it’s unclear proper now, as the partnership is still being worked out.

Duval County voters authorised a half-cent gross sales tax in November 2020 with the precise goal of replacing growing older faculties, repairing a massive backlog of upkeep issues, and bolstering faculty security.

Proper now, 74 initiatives are in the design section and 15 are underneath building.

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

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

Extra information about how that money is deliberate to be spent in particular person schools will be discovered on the school district’s half-cent sales tax information dashboard.

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The following list of safety measures is published on the school district’s web site:

Each college has a safety plan and emergency response staff.

All faculty lecture rooms are locked when occupied by students.

Faculty plans are reviewed with workers every semester.

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

The district makes use of numerous major security monitoring strategies together with digital camera surveillance and monitored controlled entry programs.

All colleges and district workplaces have a District Emergency Communications Network radio with direct entry to school police and district management. College Police have direct entry to JSO.

All colleges conduct common evacuation drills (hearth drills).

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

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