Metropolis, DCPS broadcasts partnership with firm specializing in security doors, glass

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The city of Jacksonville and Duval County faculty district on Wednesday introduced a new plan to keep youngsters protected within the classroom.

The college district employed a New York firm named Armoured One, which focuses on doorways and glass and claims it may possibly slow down or stop a shooter from getting into a classroom.

These are crucial components after police in Texas determined the door accessed by the gunman at Robb Elementary Faculty in Uvalde was closed but not locked. Originally, state police stated a teacher left the door propped open. Investigators concluded the teacher truly closed the door, but it didn’t lock mechanically like it was imagined to. The gunman shot and killed 19 students and two academics before he was killed by law enforcement.

Armoured One, which was based after the Sandy Hook Elementary College taking pictures, is made up of former navy and regulation enforcement agents who research mass capturing attacks and consult on college safety measures.

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“We'll first work collaboratively to identify the place Armoured One sources can finest praise the coaching already offered, adding their sources to the training tools and assets the district already uses,” Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said Wednesday afternoon at a information conference at Metropolis Hall to announce the partnership.

Press the play button instantly under to look at your complete news conference.

The safety glass and film that Armoured One invented can stand up to several hits -- whether that’s bullets, someone ramming into the glass or using other objects or weapons -- without breaking, which might sluggish an attacker. The doorways it makes use of have steel framing, latch bolts and deadbolts.

Armoured One can also be recognized for offering energetic shooter training and assessments. The company issues individual reviews for each building and recommends the very best gear to use for each facility it’s working with.

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Curry said he plans to seek out the funding for that coaching but in addition work with the company to perform college security assessments. Armoured One CEO Tom Czyz said his group knows what to look for when it assesses a school’s vulnerability.

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

Duval County Public Faculties Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene and Duval County Faculty Police Division Chief Greg Burton say security and safety are prime of thoughts every single day.

What I need to be common is that our families know that we are ready each day. And that’s what we work towards being a greater college district because it pertains to security and safety,” Green stated.

Burton stated, “I would say the one word that summarizes all the things that we do is vigilance.”

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

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So far as the price, it’s unclear proper now, because the partnership is still being worked out.

Duval County voters approved a half-cent gross sales tax in November 2020 with the particular purpose of changing getting old schools, repairing a large backlog of upkeep points, and bolstering college safety.

Proper now, 74 initiatives are in the design part and 15 are underneath 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 tasks underneath development.

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 faculties.

Extra details about how that cash is planned to be spent in individual colleges could be discovered on the varsity district’s half-cent gross sales tax data dashboard.

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The following checklist of safety measures is printed on the varsity district’s web site:

Each faculty has a security plan and emergency response group.

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

Faculty plans are reviewed with staff every semester.

The district has a extremely trained faculty police department, giving all faculties direct entry to school useful resource officers.

The district makes use of numerous main security monitoring methods including digital camera surveillance and monitored managed access systems.

All colleges and district offices have a District Emergency Communications Network radio with direct entry to school police and district management. Faculty Police have direct entry to JSO.

All schools conduct regular evacuation drills (hearth drills).

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

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