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

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Town of Jacksonville and Duval County college district on Wednesday announced a new plan to keep kids protected within the classroom.

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

These are essential components 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 said a teacher left the door propped open. Investigators concluded the instructor truly closed the door, but it surely didn’t lock automatically like it was speculated to. The gunman shot and killed 19 students and two lecturers earlier than he was killed by law enforcement.

Armoured One, which was founded after the Sandy Hook Elementary College taking pictures, is made up of former military and law enforcement agents who study mass shooting assaults and consult on college safety measures.

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“We'll first work collaboratively to establish the place Armoured One assets can best compliment the training already offered, including their sources to the training tools and resources the district already uses,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said Wednesday afternoon at a news convention at City Corridor to announce the partnership.

Press the play button instantly beneath to observe your entire information conference.

The security glass and movie that Armoured One invented can stand up to several hits -- whether or not that’s bullets, somebody ramming into the glass or utilizing other objects or weapons -- with out breaking, which could sluggish an attacker. The doorways it uses have steel framing, latch bolts and deadbolts.

Armoured One can be recognized for providing lively shooter coaching and assessments. The company issues individual experiences for each building and recommends the very best equipment to make use of for each facility it’s working with.

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Curry said he plans to find the funding for that training but also work with the corporate to perform college security assessments. Armoured One CEO Tom Czyz mentioned his team knows what to search for when it assesses a college’s vulnerability.

“They’re methods to decelerate an attacker and speed up police response,” Czyz stated. “How can we gradual him down -- and then pace up the response that might stop him.”

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

What I wish to be common is that our families know that we're prepared each and every day. And that’s what we work in the direction of being a greater school district as it relates to security and security,” Green stated.

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

Greene stated that the district’s greatest protection is its students and workers. 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 associated fee, it’s unclear right now, because the partnership continues to be being labored out.

Duval County voters permitted a half-cent sales tax in November 2020 with the precise goal of changing aging schools, repairing an enormous backlog of upkeep points, and bolstering college security.

Proper now, 74 projects are within the design section and 15 are under construction.

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

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

More information about how that cash is deliberate to be spent in individual schools could be discovered on the school district’s half-cent gross sales tax info dashboard.

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The following checklist of security measures is published on the varsity district’s web site:

Each school has a security plan and emergency response workforce.

All faculty school rooms are locked when occupied by students.

Faculty plans are reviewed with employees every semester.

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

The district utilizes various major safety monitoring methods including digicam surveillance and monitored managed access methods.

All colleges and district places of work have a District Emergency Communications Community radio with direct access to highschool police and district leadership. Faculty Police have direct entry to JSO.

All colleges conduct regular evacuation drills (hearth drills).

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

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