Metropolis, DCPS pronounces partnership with company specializing in safety doorways, glass

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The town of Jacksonville and Duval County faculty district on Wednesday announced a brand new plan to maintain youngsters protected within the classroom.

The varsity district hired a New York company named Armoured One, which makes a speciality of doorways and glass and claims it will possibly slow down or prevent a shooter from getting 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. Initially, state police said a teacher left the door propped open. Investigators concluded the teacher truly closed the door, but it didn’t lock routinely like it was speculated to. The gunman shot and killed 19 college students and two teachers before he was killed by law enforcement.

Armoured One, which was founded after the Sandy Hook Elementary College taking pictures, is made up of former navy and law enforcement agents who research mass shooting attacks and seek the advice of on faculty safety measures.

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“We are going to first work collaboratively to establish the place Armoured One sources can best compliment the coaching already offered, including their sources to the training tools and resources the district already makes use of,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry mentioned Wednesday afternoon at a information conference at Metropolis Hall to announce the partnership.

Press the play button straight beneath to look at the whole information convention.

The security glass and film that Armoured One invented can stand up to a number of hits -- whether that’s bullets, somebody ramming into the glass or using different objects or weapons -- without breaking, which might sluggish an attacker. The doors it uses have steel framing, latch bolts and deadbolts.

Armoured One can also be known for offering lively shooter training and assessments. The company points particular person studies for every constructing and recommends the most effective equipment to use for every facility it’s working with.

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Curry stated he plans to find the funding for that coaching but additionally work with the corporate to carry out college safety assessments. Armoured One CEO Tom Czyz said his workforce knows what to look for when it assesses a college’s vulnerability.

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

Duval County Public Colleges Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene and Duval County Faculty Police Division Chief Greg Burton say security and safety are top of mind daily.

What I want to be frequent 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 because it pertains to safety and security,” Inexperienced stated.

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

Greene said that the district’s greatest protection is its students and staff. She stated she continues to encourage the varsity neighborhood to report something they see that’s suspicious.

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

Duval County voters authorised a half-cent gross sales tax in November 2020 with the specific objective of changing aging colleges, repairing a large backlog of upkeep issues, and bolstering college security.

Proper now, 74 tasks are within the design phase and 15 are beneath 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 tasks below construction.

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

Extra information about how that money is planned to be spent in individual schools may be found on the varsity district’s half-cent gross sales tax info dashboard.

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The following list of security measures is revealed on the school district’s web site:

Every faculty has a safety plan and emergency response group.

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

College plans are reviewed with staff each semester.

The district has a extremely trained faculty police department, giving all schools direct entry to high school useful resource officers.

The district makes use of varied major security monitoring methods including digital camera surveillance and monitored controlled entry systems.

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

All colleges conduct regular evacuation drills (fireplace drills).

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

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