City, DCPS declares partnership with company specializing in safety doors, glass

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

The school district employed a New York firm named Armoured One, which specializes in doors and glass and claims it will probably slow down or forestall a shooter from getting into a classroom.

These are crucial elements after police in Texas determined the door accessed by the gunman at Robb Elementary College in Uvalde was closed but not locked. Originally, state police stated a instructor left the door propped open. Investigators concluded the trainer really closed the door, but it surely didn’t lock robotically like it was supposed to. The gunman shot and killed 19 college students and two academics earlier than he was killed by law enforcement.

Armoured One, which was based after the Sandy Hook Elementary College shooting, is made up of former navy and law enforcement agents who research mass shooting assaults and consult on faculty security measures.

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“We'll first work collaboratively to identify where Armoured One sources can finest compliment the training already supplied, including their assets to the coaching instruments and assets the district already uses,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry stated Wednesday afternoon at a news conference at City Corridor to announce the partnership.

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The security glass and movie that Armoured One invented can face up to several hits -- whether or not that’s bullets, somebody ramming into the glass or utilizing other objects or weapons -- without breaking, which may sluggish an attacker. The doors it makes use of have metallic framing, latch bolts and deadbolts.

Armoured One can be recognized for providing active shooter coaching and assessments. The corporate issues individual reviews for each constructing and recommends the very best equipment to make use of 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 carry out faculty safety assessments. Armoured One CEO Tom Czyz stated his team is aware of what to look for when it assesses a college’s vulnerability.

“They’re ways to slow down an attacker and speed up police response,” Czyz stated. “How do we sluggish him down -- and then velocity up the response that would cease him.”

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

What I wish to be widespread is that our households know that we are prepared every day. And that’s what we work towards being a better faculty district as it pertains to safety and security,” Green stated.

Burton stated, “I'd say the one phrase that summarizes every thing that we do is vigilance.”

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

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

Duval County voters permitted a half-cent sales tax in November 2020 with the specific goal of replacing aging schools, repairing an enormous backlog of maintenance issues, and bolstering school security.

Right now, 74 projects are within the design phase 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 initiatives beneath development.

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

Extra information about how that cash is deliberate to be spent in individual colleges might be found on the college district’s half-cent gross sales tax info dashboard.

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The next listing of security measures is published on the varsity district’s web site:

Each school has a safety plan and emergency response team.

All faculty classrooms are locked when occupied by students.

College plans are reviewed with staff each semester.

The district has a highly skilled school police department, giving all colleges direct entry to school resource officers.

The district utilizes numerous main security monitoring methods together with digital camera surveillance and monitored managed access techniques.

All colleges and district places of work 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 (fire drills).

All colleges conduct regular emergency and lockdown (“code purple” and “code yellow”) drills.

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