City, DCPS broadcasts partnership with company specializing in safety doorways, glass

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Town of Jacksonville and Duval County college district on Wednesday announced a new plan to maintain youngsters secure within the classroom.

The varsity district employed a New York company named Armoured One, which makes a speciality of doors and glass and claims it can decelerate or stop a shooter from getting right into a classroom.

Those are essential elements after police in Texas decided the door accessed by the gunman at Robb Elementary Faculty in Uvalde was closed however not locked. Initially, state police said a trainer left the door propped open. Investigators concluded the instructor actually closed the door, nevertheless it didn’t lock automatically like it was speculated to. The gunman shot and killed 19 college students and two lecturers earlier than he was killed by law enforcement.

Armoured One, which was founded after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, is made up of former army and legislation enforcement agents who study mass capturing attacks and consult on college security measures.

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“We'll first work collaboratively to identify where Armoured One resources can greatest praise the training already supplied, including their sources to the training tools and sources the district already makes use of,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry stated Wednesday afternoon at a information conference at City Corridor to announce the partnership.

Press the play button straight below to observe the whole information conference.

The safety 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 sluggish an attacker. The doors it uses have steel framing, latch bolts and deadbolts.

Armoured One can be identified for offering lively shooter training and assessments. The corporate points particular person reviews for every constructing and recommends the most effective equipment to make use of for every facility it’s working with.

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Curry stated he plans to search out the funding for that coaching but also work with the company to carry out faculty safety assessments. Armoured One CEO Tom Czyz said his crew is aware of what to look for when it assesses a school’s vulnerability.

“They’re looking at ways to slow down an attacker and pace up police response,” Czyz stated. “How will we sluggish him down -- and then pace up the response that might cease him.”

Duval County Public Colleges Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene and Duval County School Police Division Chief Greg Burton say security and safety are high of thoughts day-after-day.

What I wish to be widespread is that our families know that we're ready each and every day. And that’s what we work in the direction of being a better college district as it relates to safety and safety,” Inexperienced mentioned.

Burton said, “I would say the one word that summarizes every part that we do is vigilance.”

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

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So far as the fee, it’s unclear proper now, as the partnership remains to be being labored out.

Duval County voters accepted a half-cent sales tax in November 2020 with the particular objective of changing growing older colleges, repairing a large backlog of upkeep points, and bolstering school safety.

Right now, 74 initiatives are within the design phase and 15 are below 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 initiatives beneath building.

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

Extra details about how that cash is planned to be spent in individual schools will be found on the college district’s half-cent gross sales tax data dashboard.

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The next record of security measures is revealed on the varsity district’s website:

Every college has a safety plan and emergency response staff.

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

Faculty plans are reviewed with employees every semester.

The district has a extremely skilled college police division, giving all faculties direct entry to highschool useful resource officers.

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

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

All schools conduct regular evacuation drills (fire drills).

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

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