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

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The town of Jacksonville and Duval County college district on Wednesday announced a brand new plan to maintain kids secure in the classroom.

The varsity district employed a New York company named Armoured One, which specializes in doorways and glass and claims it could actually decelerate or forestall a shooter from getting right into a classroom.

These 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. Initially, state police said a teacher left the door propped open. Investigators concluded the trainer really closed the door, nevertheless it didn’t lock routinely prefer it was supposed to. The gunman shot and killed 19 college students and two lecturers before he was killed by regulation enforcement.

Armoured One, which was based after the Sandy Hook Elementary Faculty capturing, is made up of former military and law enforcement brokers who research mass shooting attacks and seek the advice of on college safety measures.

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“We are going to first work collaboratively to establish where Armoured One sources can greatest compliment the coaching already provided, including their resources to the training tools and sources the district already uses,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry stated Wednesday afternoon at a information conference at City Corridor to announce the partnership.

Press the play button straight under to look at the whole news convention.

The security glass and movie 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 -- without breaking, which could slow an attacker. The doorways it makes use of have metallic framing, latch bolts and deadbolts.

Armoured One can also be identified for providing energetic shooter training and assessments. The company points individual experiences for each constructing and recommends the perfect gear to make use of for each facility it’s working with.

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

“They’re looking at ways to slow down an attacker and speed up police response,” Czyz mentioned. “How can we gradual him down -- and then speed up the response that might stop him.”

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

What I wish to be frequent is that our families know that we're prepared each and every day. And that’s what we work in direction of being a better college district because it pertains to safety and security,” Green mentioned.

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

Greene stated that the district’s greatest defense is its college students and workers. She mentioned she continues to encourage the school group to report something they see that’s suspicious.

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As far as the fee, it’s unclear right now, as the partnership is still being labored out.

Duval County voters authorized a half-cent sales tax in November 2020 with the precise purpose of replacing growing older colleges, repairing an enormous backlog of upkeep issues, and bolstering college security.

Proper now, 74 initiatives are within the design part and 15 are under construction.

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

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

Extra information about how that cash is planned to be spent in individual schools can be found on the school district’s half-cent sales tax information dashboard.

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The following checklist of security measures is revealed on the college district’s web site:

Every college has a security plan and emergency response group.

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

College plans are reviewed with employees every semester.

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

The district makes use of numerous major safety monitoring strategies together with digital camera surveillance and monitored managed entry systems.

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

All faculties conduct common evacuation drills (fire drills).

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

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