City, DCPS proclaims partnership with company specializing in safety doorways, glass

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Town of Jacksonville and Duval County faculty district on Wednesday announced a new plan to maintain kids secure in the classroom.

The college district employed a New York firm named Armoured One, which makes a speciality of doorways and glass and claims it will possibly slow down or prevent a shooter from getting right into a classroom.

These are essential factors after police in Texas decided the door accessed by the gunman at Robb Elementary Faculty in Uvalde was closed but not locked. Initially, state police stated a instructor left the door propped open. Investigators concluded the instructor really closed the door, but it didn’t lock robotically like it was purported to. The gunman shot and killed 19 students and two lecturers earlier than he was killed by law enforcement.

Armoured One, which was based after the Sandy Hook Elementary Faculty capturing, is made up of former army and legislation enforcement brokers who study mass capturing assaults and consult on college security measures.

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“We'll first work collaboratively to identify where Armoured One resources can greatest compliment the training already supplied, adding their resources to the training tools and resources the district already makes use of,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said Wednesday afternoon at a information convention at Metropolis Hall to announce the partnership.

Press the play button directly under to look at the whole news conference.

The security glass and movie that Armoured One invented can face up to several hits -- whether that’s bullets, somebody ramming into the glass or utilizing different objects or weapons -- without breaking, which might slow an attacker. The doorways it makes use of have metal framing, latch bolts and deadbolts.

Armoured One is also known for providing lively shooter training and assessments. The company issues particular person reviews for every constructing and recommends the best equipment to make use of for each facility it’s working with.

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Curry stated he plans to search out the funding for that training but additionally work with the company to perform faculty safety assessments. Armoured One CEO Tom Czyz mentioned his group knows what to search for when it assesses a college’s vulnerability.

“They’re taking a look at ways to slow down an attacker and pace up police response,” Czyz said. “How do we sluggish him down -- and then speed up the response that would stop him.”

Duval County Public Faculties Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene and Duval County School Police Department Chief Greg Burton say security and safety are top of mind every day.

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

Burton said, “I might say the one word that summarizes all the things that we do is vigilance.”

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

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So far as the cost, it’s unclear right now, as the partnership remains to be being worked out.

Duval County voters permitted a half-cent gross sales tax in November 2020 with the precise purpose of changing growing old schools, repairing a massive backlog of maintenance issues, and bolstering college safety.

Proper now, 74 projects are in the design phase and 15 are beneath development.

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

Over its 15-year life, the gross sales tax is projected to generate $64.9 million for the precise goal of upgrading college safety in DCPS colleges.

Extra details about how that cash is deliberate to be spent in particular person colleges may be discovered on the varsity district’s half-cent sales tax data dashboard.

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The following list of security measures is printed on the school district’s website:

Each faculty has a safety plan and emergency response workforce.

All college school rooms are locked when occupied by students.

Faculty plans are reviewed with employees every semester.

The district has a extremely trained college police department, giving all colleges direct entry to highschool useful resource officers.

The district utilizes varied main safety monitoring methods including camera surveillance and monitored controlled access methods.

All faculties and district workplaces have a District Emergency Communications Network radio with direct access to high school police and district management. Faculty Police have direct access to JSO.

All schools conduct common evacuation drills (hearth drills).

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

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