City, DCPS proclaims partnership with firm specializing in security doors, glass

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The town of Jacksonville and Duval County faculty district on Wednesday announced a new plan to keep kids safe in the classroom.

The school district hired a New York firm named Armoured One, which specializes in doors and glass and claims it might probably decelerate or prevent a shooter from getting right into a classroom.

Those are crucial factors 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 stated a instructor left the door propped open. Investigators concluded the teacher actually closed the door, however it didn’t lock automatically like it was imagined 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 School taking pictures, is made up of former navy and regulation enforcement brokers who examine mass taking pictures attacks and seek the advice of on school security measures.

Advert

“We'll first work collaboratively to establish the place Armoured One assets can best praise the training already supplied, adding their resources to the training tools and resources the district already uses,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry mentioned Wednesday afternoon at a information conference at Metropolis Corridor to announce the partnership.

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

The safety glass and film that Armoured One invented can withstand a number of hits -- whether or not that’s bullets, somebody ramming into the glass or utilizing other objects or weapons -- with out breaking, which might sluggish an attacker. The doors it uses have metallic framing, latch bolts and deadbolts.

Armoured One can be recognized for providing active shooter coaching and assessments. The corporate points individual reviews for each constructing and recommends the very best equipment to make use of for every facility it’s working with.

Ad

Curry said he plans to search out the funding for that coaching but in addition work with the company to perform school security assessments. Armoured One CEO Tom Czyz mentioned his crew knows what to search for when it assesses a faculty’s vulnerability.

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

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

What I want to be frequent is that our families know that we are prepared each day. And that’s what we work towards being a greater school district because it pertains to security and safety,” Green said.

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

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

Ad

So far as the price, it’s unclear right now, because the partnership continues to be being worked out.

Duval County voters authorised a half-cent gross sales tax in November 2020 with the particular objective of changing growing old faculties, repairing a massive backlog of maintenance issues, and bolstering school security.

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

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

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

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

Ad

The following record of security measures is published on the school district’s website:

Each faculty has a safety plan and emergency response crew.

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

Faculty plans are reviewed with staff every semester.

The district has a highly skilled college police division, giving all faculties direct access to high school useful resource officers.

The district utilizes various main safety monitoring strategies including digicam surveillance and monitored controlled access methods.

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

All colleges conduct regular evacuation drills (fire drills).

All schools conduct regular emergency and lockdown (“code pink” and “code yellow”) drills.

Copyright 2022 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.