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

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The city of Jacksonville and Duval County faculty district on Wednesday announced a new plan to keep children secure in the classroom.

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

These are crucial components 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 instructor left the door propped open. Investigators concluded the instructor really closed the door, but it surely didn’t lock automatically like it was imagined to. The gunman shot and killed 19 college students and two teachers earlier than he was killed by law enforcement.

Armoured One, which was based after the Sandy Hook Elementary College capturing, is made up of former army and law enforcement agents who examine mass shooting attacks and consult on faculty safety measures.

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“We'll first work collaboratively to establish the place Armoured One resources can best compliment the coaching already supplied, including their sources to the coaching instruments and sources the district already uses,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said Wednesday afternoon at a news conference at Metropolis Corridor to announce the partnership.

Press the play button instantly below to look at your entire news conference.

The safety glass and movie that Armoured One invented can face up to a number of hits -- whether or not that’s bullets, someone ramming into the glass or using different objects or weapons -- without breaking, which might sluggish an attacker. The doors it uses have metallic framing, latch bolts and deadbolts.

Armoured One is also identified for providing energetic shooter training and assessments. The company points individual studies for every constructing and recommends the best equipment to make use of for each facility it’s working with.

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Curry mentioned he plans to seek out the funding for that coaching but also work with the corporate to perform college security assessments. Armoured One CEO Tom Czyz mentioned his team is aware of what to look for when it assesses a college’s vulnerability.

“They’re ways to decelerate an attacker and pace up police response,” Czyz stated. “How do we gradual him down -- after which velocity up the response that may stop him.”

Duval County Public Faculties Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene and Duval County Faculty Police Division Chief Greg Burton say security and safety are high of mind each day.

What I wish to be frequent is that our families know that we are prepared each and every day. And that’s what we work in direction of being a greater faculty district as it pertains to safety and safety,” Inexperienced said.

Burton said, “I might say the one phrase that summarizes everything that we do is vigilance.”

Greene mentioned that the district’s finest protection is its students and workers. She stated she continues to encourage the school 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 labored out.

Duval County voters authorized a half-cent sales tax in November 2020 with the specific function of changing ageing colleges, repairing an enormous backlog of maintenance points, and bolstering college security.

Right now, 74 projects are in the design section and 15 are underneath development.

As of January 2022, the tax has generated more than $118 million dollars, with greater 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 security in DCPS schools.

More details about how that cash is deliberate to be spent in individual schools could be found on the varsity district’s half-cent sales tax information dashboard.

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The following listing of safety measures is published on the varsity district’s web site:

Each college has a security plan and emergency response staff.

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

College plans are reviewed with staff every semester.

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

The district utilizes numerous main safety monitoring methods together with digital camera surveillance and monitored controlled access programs.

All faculties and district places of work have a District Emergency Communications Community radio with direct entry to highschool police and district management. Faculty Police have direct entry to JSO.

All colleges conduct regular evacuation drills (fire drills).

All schools conduct regular emergency and lockdown (“code red” and “code yellow”) drills.

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