City, DCPS broadcasts partnership with company specializing in security doorways, glass

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

The college district hired a New York firm named Armoured One, which specializes in doorways and glass and claims it can decelerate or stop a shooter from getting into a classroom.

These are crucial elements after police in Texas determined the door accessed by the gunman at Robb Elementary College in Uvalde was closed but not locked. Originally, state police mentioned a instructor left the door propped open. Investigators concluded the trainer actually closed the door, however 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 legislation enforcement.

Armoured One, which was based after the Sandy Hook Elementary Faculty capturing, is made up of former navy and law enforcement agents who examine mass taking pictures attacks and seek the advice of on faculty security measures.

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“We'll first work collaboratively to determine where Armoured One sources can greatest praise the coaching already offered, adding their sources to the coaching tools and sources the district already makes use of,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry stated Wednesday afternoon at a news convention at City Hall to announce the partnership.

Press the play button immediately beneath to watch the whole news conference.

The safety glass and film that Armoured One invented can stand up to a number of hits -- whether that’s bullets, someone ramming into the glass or utilizing other objects or weapons -- with out breaking, which could sluggish an attacker. The doors it makes use of have metal framing, latch bolts and deadbolts.

Armoured One can also be identified for offering energetic shooter coaching and assessments. The corporate issues particular person studies for every building and recommends one of the best equipment to make use of for each facility it’s working with.

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Curry said he plans to seek out the funding for that training but also work with the corporate to perform college safety assessments. Armoured One CEO Tom Czyz stated his staff is aware of what to search for when it assesses a faculty’s vulnerability.

“They’re ways to decelerate an attacker and velocity up police response,” Czyz stated. “How will we sluggish him down -- after which speed up the response that would stop him.”

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

What I want to be frequent is that our families know that we are ready each day. And that’s what we work in the direction of being a better college district as it pertains to security and safety,” Inexperienced said.

Burton mentioned, “I would say the one word that summarizes all the pieces that we do is vigilance.”

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

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As far as the fee, it’s unclear right now, because the partnership remains to be being labored out.

Duval County voters approved a half-cent sales tax in November 2020 with the precise function of replacing getting old colleges, repairing an enormous backlog of maintenance issues, and bolstering faculty safety.

Right now, 74 tasks are in the design part and 15 are underneath development.

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

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

More details about how that cash is planned to be spent in particular person schools can be discovered on the school district’s half-cent gross sales tax data dashboard.

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The following record of security measures is revealed on the college district’s website:

Each faculty has a safety plan and emergency response staff.

All college classrooms are locked when occupied by college students.

College plans are reviewed with workers each semester.

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

The district utilizes various main safety monitoring strategies including camera surveillance and monitored managed entry programs.

All colleges and district offices have a District Emergency Communications Community radio with direct entry to highschool police and district management. School Police have direct entry to JSO.

All faculties conduct regular evacuation drills (fire drills).

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

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