Metropolis, DCPS publicizes partnership with firm specializing in security doors, glass

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The town of Jacksonville and Duval County school district on Wednesday announced a brand new plan to maintain children secure in the classroom.

The college district employed a New York firm named Armoured One, which focuses on doorways and glass and claims it may slow down or prevent a shooter from getting right into a classroom.

These are crucial elements after police in Texas decided the door accessed by the gunman at Robb Elementary Faculty in Uvalde was closed but not locked. Originally, state police said a instructor left the door propped open. Investigators concluded the instructor really closed the door, however it didn’t lock routinely prefer it was purported to. The gunman shot and killed 19 students and two teachers 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 military and law enforcement brokers who research mass shooting attacks and seek the advice of on college security measures.

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“We are going to first work collaboratively to identify the place Armoured One sources can finest praise the training already supplied, adding their resources to the coaching instruments and assets the district already makes use of,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry mentioned Wednesday afternoon at a information convention at City Hall to announce the partnership.

Press the play button straight under to watch the whole information convention.

The safety glass and film that Armoured One invented can face up to a number of hits -- whether that’s bullets, someone ramming into the glass or using different objects or weapons -- without breaking, which could sluggish an attacker. The doorways it uses have metal framing, latch bolts and deadbolts.

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

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

“They’re taking a look at ways to decelerate an attacker and velocity up police response,” Czyz mentioned. “How will we gradual him down -- after which speed up the response that will stop him.”

Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene and Duval County College Police Department Chief Greg Burton say safety and security are high of mind daily.

What I wish to be frequent is that our households know that we're prepared each and every day. And that’s what we work towards being a greater school district because it pertains to safety and security,” Inexperienced said.

Burton said, “I would say the one word that summarizes the whole lot that we do is vigilance.”

Greene said that the district’s best defense is its students and staff. She said she continues to encourage the school community to report anything they see that’s suspicious.

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So far as the associated fee, it’s unclear right now, as the partnership is still being labored out.

Duval County voters accepted a half-cent gross sales tax in November 2020 with the precise objective of changing growing old colleges, repairing a massive backlog of maintenance issues, and bolstering school safety.

Proper now, 74 tasks are within the design part and 15 are underneath development.

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

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

More details about how that money is planned to be spent in individual schools will be found on the varsity district’s half-cent sales tax information dashboard.

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The following listing of safety measures is published on the school district’s website:

Each faculty has a safety plan and emergency response workforce.

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

Faculty plans are reviewed with staff each semester.

The district has a extremely trained faculty police division, giving all colleges direct entry to school resource officers.

The district makes use of varied main safety monitoring methods including digital camera surveillance and monitored controlled entry methods.

All faculties and district workplaces have a District Emergency Communications Community radio with direct access to highschool police and district leadership. College Police have direct entry to JSO.

All colleges conduct regular evacuation drills (fireplace drills).

All faculties conduct common emergency and lockdown (“code red” and “code yellow”) drills.

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