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

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

The varsity district hired a New York company named Armoured One, which makes a speciality of doors and glass and claims it may decelerate or forestall a shooter from getting 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. Originally, state police stated a trainer left the door propped open. Investigators concluded the teacher truly closed the door, but it surely didn’t lock routinely prefer it was presupposed to. The gunman shot and killed 19 college students and two teachers before he was killed by regulation enforcement.

Armoured One, which was founded after the Sandy Hook Elementary Faculty taking pictures, is made up of former army and legislation enforcement agents who study mass capturing assaults and consult on faculty security measures.

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“We will first work collaboratively to establish the place Armoured One resources can greatest compliment the training already offered, adding their sources to the training instruments and sources the district already uses,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry mentioned Wednesday afternoon at a information conference at City Hall to announce the partnership.

Press the play button straight below to observe the complete information convention.

The safety glass and movie that Armoured One invented can face up to several hits -- whether that’s bullets, somebody ramming into the glass or utilizing different objects or weapons -- with out breaking, which may gradual an attacker. The doors it makes use of have steel framing, latch bolts and deadbolts.

Armoured One can also be identified for providing active shooter coaching and assessments. The company points particular person stories for each constructing and recommends the most effective gear to use for each facility it’s working with.

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Curry stated he plans to search out the funding for that coaching but additionally work with the corporate to perform school 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 decelerate an attacker and velocity up police response,” Czyz said. “How do we slow him down -- after which pace up the response that will 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 mind every single day.

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

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

Greene said that the district’s best protection is its college students and staff. She stated she continues to encourage the school community to report something they see that’s suspicious.

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

Duval County voters accepted a half-cent sales tax in November 2020 with the specific purpose of changing getting old faculties, repairing an enormous backlog of maintenance points, and bolstering school safety.

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

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

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

More information about how that money is planned to be spent in particular person colleges could be discovered on the college district’s half-cent gross sales tax info dashboard.

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The following record of security measures is printed on the varsity district’s web site:

Every college has a security plan and emergency response workforce.

All college classrooms are locked when occupied by students.

Faculty plans are reviewed with employees every semester.

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

The district utilizes various major security monitoring methods together with digital camera surveillance and monitored controlled entry systems.

All colleges and district places of work have a District Emergency Communications Community radio with direct access to school police and district leadership. School Police have direct entry 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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