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

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The city of Jacksonville and Duval County college district on Wednesday introduced a brand new plan to keep kids protected in the classroom.

The college district employed a New York firm named Armoured One, which focuses on doors and glass and claims it may 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 School in Uvalde was closed but not locked. Initially, state police mentioned a trainer left the door propped open. Investigators concluded the trainer really closed the door, but it surely didn’t lock robotically like it was imagined to. The gunman shot and killed 19 students and two lecturers 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 military and regulation enforcement brokers who study mass shooting attacks and seek the advice of on faculty safety measures.

Advert

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

Press the play button immediately under to observe all the news conference.

The safety glass and movie that Armoured One invented can face up to several hits -- whether or not that’s bullets, someone ramming into the glass or using different objects or weapons -- with out breaking, which could gradual an attacker. The doorways it uses have steel framing, latch bolts and deadbolts.

Armoured One is also identified for providing active shooter coaching and assessments. The corporate points individual studies for each constructing and recommends the perfect equipment to make use of for every facility it’s working with.

Ad

Curry mentioned he plans to find the funding for that coaching but in addition work with the company to carry out college security assessments. Armoured One CEO Tom Czyz stated his workforce is aware of what to search for when it assesses a college’s vulnerability.

“They’re taking a look at ways to decelerate an attacker and speed up police response,” Czyz said. “How will we slow him down -- and then velocity up the response that may stop him.”

Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene and Duval County School Police Division Chief Greg Burton say safety and security are prime of mind day-after-day.

What I need to be common is that our families know that we're prepared every day. And that’s what we work in direction of being a greater school district because it pertains to security 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 best defense is its college students and staff. She mentioned she continues to encourage the varsity community to report anything they see that’s suspicious.

Ad

So far as the fee, it’s unclear right now, because the partnership continues to be being labored out.

Duval County voters authorised a half-cent sales tax in November 2020 with the specific goal of replacing aging faculties, repairing a large backlog of upkeep points, and bolstering faculty security.

Right now, 74 projects are within the design phase and 15 are under construction.

As of January 2022, the tax has generated greater than $118 million dollars, with greater than $5.7 million already spent or allotted to projects beneath construction.

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

Extra details about how that cash is deliberate to be spent in particular person colleges will be discovered on the school district’s half-cent gross sales tax data dashboard.

Ad

The next list of safety measures is revealed on the school district’s website:

Each college has a safety plan and emergency response team.

All faculty lecture rooms are locked when occupied by students.

College plans are reviewed with workers each semester.

The district has a highly trained faculty police division, giving all schools direct entry to school useful resource officers.

The district utilizes numerous main security monitoring strategies together with camera surveillance and monitored managed entry systems.

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

All colleges conduct common evacuation drills (hearth drills).

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

Copyright 2022 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.