City, DCPS announces partnership with firm specializing in safety doors, glass

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The town of Jacksonville and Duval County school district on Wednesday introduced a brand new plan to keep kids secure within the classroom.

The school district employed a New York firm named Armoured One, which makes a speciality of doorways and glass and claims it may decelerate or stop a shooter from getting right into a classroom.

Those are crucial elements after police in Texas decided 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 instructor actually closed the door, but it didn’t lock mechanically prefer it was supposed to. The gunman shot and killed 19 college students and two academics before he was killed by legislation enforcement.

Armoured One, which was founded after the Sandy Hook Elementary Faculty taking pictures, is made up of former army and legislation enforcement agents who study mass capturing attacks and consult on faculty safety measures.

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“We are going to first work collaboratively to determine where Armoured One resources can finest praise the coaching already provided, adding their sources to the coaching tools and resources the district already uses,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said Wednesday afternoon at a information conference at Metropolis Hall to announce the partnership.

Press the play button instantly below to look at your entire information conference.

The security glass and movie that Armoured One invented can withstand a number of hits -- whether or not that’s bullets, someone ramming into the glass or using different objects or weapons -- without breaking, which might gradual an attacker. The doorways it uses have metallic framing, latch bolts and deadbolts.

Armoured One can also be known for providing lively shooter training and assessments. The corporate points particular person experiences for every building and recommends one of the best tools to use for every facility it’s working with.

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

“They’re taking a look at methods to decelerate an attacker and pace up police response,” Czyz stated. “How do we sluggish him down -- and then velocity up the response that will stop him.”

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

What I want to be widespread is that our households know that we're prepared each and every day. And that’s what we work towards being a better college district as it pertains to security and security,” Green mentioned.

Burton said, “I'd say the one word that summarizes every little thing that we do is vigilance.”

Greene said that the district’s greatest protection is its students and employees. She said she continues to encourage the college group to report anything they see that’s suspicious.

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So far as the cost, it’s unclear right now, because the partnership is still being labored out.

Duval County voters authorized a half-cent gross sales tax in November 2020 with the particular goal of replacing aging schools, repairing a large backlog of maintenance points, and bolstering faculty safety.

Proper now, 74 initiatives are within the design section and 15 are below construction.

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

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

Extra information about how that money is deliberate to be spent in individual colleges can be found on the varsity district’s half-cent sales tax information dashboard.

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The following record of safety measures is revealed on the varsity district’s website:

Each faculty has a safety plan and emergency response crew.

All college school rooms are locked when occupied by college students.

School plans are reviewed with workers each semester.

The district has a highly educated school police department, giving all colleges direct access to high school resource officers.

The district utilizes various major security monitoring strategies together with digicam surveillance and monitored managed entry systems.

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

All schools conduct regular evacuation drills (fireplace drills).

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

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