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

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

The varsity district hired a New York company named Armoured One, which focuses on doors and glass and claims it might probably slow down or stop 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 however not locked. Originally, state police mentioned a trainer left the door propped open. Investigators concluded the trainer actually closed the door, but it didn’t lock robotically prefer it was purported to. The gunman shot and killed 19 students and two academics before he was killed by law enforcement.

Armoured One, which was founded after the Sandy Hook Elementary School capturing, is made up of former army and legislation enforcement brokers who examine mass capturing attacks and consult on school safety measures.

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“We are going to first work collaboratively to establish the place Armoured One assets can best compliment the training already supplied, including their assets to the coaching instruments and resources the district already makes use of,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said Wednesday afternoon at a information conference at City Hall to announce the partnership.

Press the play button straight below to watch all the news convention.

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

Armoured One can also be recognized for offering energetic shooter training and assessments. The corporate issues particular person studies for every building and recommends the most effective 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 coaching but in addition work with the company to carry out school security assessments. Armoured One CEO Tom Czyz said his group knows what to search for when it assesses a college’s vulnerability.

“They’re taking a look at methods to decelerate an attacker and pace up police response,” Czyz mentioned. “How can we slow him down -- after which speed up the response that might cease him.”

Duval County Public Faculties Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene and Duval County School Police Division Chief Greg Burton say security and safety are prime of mind each day.

What I want to be frequent is that our households know that we are prepared each and every day. And that’s what we work in the direction of being a greater faculty district as it pertains to safety and safety,” Green mentioned.

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

Greene stated that the district’s finest defense is its students and employees. She mentioned she continues to encourage the varsity group to report anything they see that’s suspicious.

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As far as the price, it’s unclear proper now, as the partnership remains to be being labored out.

Duval County voters approved a half-cent gross sales tax in November 2020 with the precise objective of changing getting old schools, repairing an enormous backlog of maintenance issues, and bolstering school security.

Proper now, 74 initiatives are within the design phase and 15 are underneath building.

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

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

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

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The next checklist of safety measures is published on the school district’s web site:

Every faculty has a security plan and emergency response group.

All school classrooms are locked when occupied by students.

College plans are reviewed with employees each semester.

The district has a highly trained school police department, giving all schools direct entry to school useful resource officers.

The district utilizes various main safety monitoring methods together with digicam surveillance and monitored managed access methods.

All colleges and district places of work have a District Emergency Communications Community radio with direct entry to high school police and district management. Faculty Police have direct entry to JSO.

All colleges conduct common evacuation drills (fire drills).

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

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