Metropolis, DCPS broadcasts partnership with firm specializing in security doorways, glass

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

The college district employed a New York company named Armoured One, which specializes in doors and glass and claims it could slow down or forestall a shooter from getting into a classroom.

Those are essential factors after police in Texas decided 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 instructor actually closed the door, nevertheless it didn’t lock mechanically prefer it was purported to. The gunman shot and killed 19 students and two teachers earlier than he was killed by law enforcement.

Armoured One, which was founded after the Sandy Hook Elementary College capturing, is made up of former navy and law enforcement agents who study mass taking pictures attacks and consult on school safety measures.

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“We are going to first work collaboratively to identify the place Armoured One assets can best praise the training already offered, adding their sources to the training instruments and sources the district already uses,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry mentioned Wednesday afternoon at a information conference at Metropolis Corridor to announce the partnership.

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The safety glass and movie that Armoured One invented can face up to a number of hits -- whether or not that’s bullets, someone ramming into the glass or utilizing other objects or weapons -- with out breaking, which may sluggish an attacker. The doorways it makes use of have metallic framing, latch bolts and deadbolts.

Armoured One is also identified for providing energetic shooter training and assessments. The corporate points particular person studies for every constructing and recommends the perfect equipment to use for each facility it’s working with.

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Curry stated he plans to seek out the funding for that training but in addition work with the corporate to carry out school safety assessments. Armoured One CEO Tom Czyz mentioned his group knows what to look for when it assesses a school’s vulnerability.

“They’re ways to slow down an attacker and pace up police response,” Czyz said. “How will we sluggish him down -- and then pace up the response that would cease him.”

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

What I need to be frequent is that our families know that we're prepared every day. And that’s what we work in the direction of being a better school district as it pertains to security and safety,” Green stated.

Burton mentioned, “I'd say the one phrase that summarizes every part that we do is vigilance.”

Greene mentioned that the district’s best protection is its students and employees. She said she continues to encourage the varsity community to report something they see that’s suspicious.

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

Duval County voters authorized a half-cent gross sales tax in November 2020 with the precise objective of replacing growing old schools, repairing a large backlog of maintenance points, and bolstering faculty safety.

Right now, 74 tasks are in the design phase and 15 are underneath construction.

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

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

Extra details about how that money is planned to be spent in individual colleges might be discovered on the school district’s half-cent gross sales tax data dashboard.

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The following list of security measures is published on the college district’s website:

Each faculty has a security plan and emergency response team.

All faculty classrooms are locked when occupied by students.

School plans are reviewed with employees each semester.

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

The district utilizes various major safety monitoring methods together with digicam surveillance and monitored managed entry programs.

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

All schools conduct regular evacuation drills (hearth drills).

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

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