|
|
This month’s newsletter is focused on making schools
safer, and with good reason. This week I learned of a
high school that does not lock its doors, a middle
school that does not have a secure main entry and
an elementary school that does not have the office
located at the front of the school. All three of these
schools are in the same Pennsylvania county that
just experienced a tragedy beyond comprehension
with the slaughter of Amish schoolgirls. Clearly, there
is much work to be done to make all our schools
safer. Now is the time to take action.
 |
|
|
The Safer School Design Initiative (SSDI)
By Joel K. Sims, AIA
As I sit in my office, just 15 miles from the
devastating and horrific Amish school shooting site in
rural Pennsylvania, I am mindful that there is no such
thing as a safe school. There are however, safer
schools. In this issue of The Schooldesigner,
we
assist in making schools safer with practical
advice.
Years ago, I had the opportunity to work on the
design for renovations and additions to a public
elementary school near the Amish schoolhouse where
the tragedies occurred. I can’t help but wonder, “Did
we make that one elementary school safer so that it
was not the target of the school shooting?”
Similarly, many of you readers work diligently to make
schools safer and, for that, you should be
commended. But there is more to be done.
Listed below are the “must do” items to make schools
safer. There are thousands of schools around the
United States (not to mention the rest of the world)
that have not initiated these basic safer school
design changes. Yes, it costs time and money. It
may even be an inconvenience to some. But the
work must be completed. Most of the
recommendations can be done to existing schools,
and all can be designed into new facilities. We call
this the Safer School Design Initiative (SSDI)
, and its
goal is simple: help make all schools safer.
1. Main Entry Control (click on image)
Problem: There is not a controlled entry
point at the
school, and people can access the school without
being noticed.
Solution: As the diagram of a sample
elementary
school shows, secure entries allow easy access into
the school at the start of the school day but secure
the building throughout the day. Visitors must access
the school through the main office.
A. The remote buzzer allows access from the
vestibule to the office.
B. Once inside the office, visitors must check
in. After signing in and leaving a photo id, such as a
driver’s license, visitors receive a name tag.
C. A second remote buzzer allows access from
the office to the hallway and the rest of the building.
Optional metal detectors can be added in the lobby if
warranted by the school location. Video surveillance
should be at this location. Also, card access should
be located here so as to allow staff and faculty pass-
through. In large schools, where there are
decentralized administration areas, there should be
more than one controlled entrance.
2. Main Office Location (click on image)
Problem: The main office is not at the front
of the
building, but is buried within the building’s bowels.
Providing a secure main entry control is impossible
because of the remote office location.
Solution: In order to achieve a secure main
entry,
the main office must be located at the front of the
building. In most cases, this is feasible by renovating
some key spaces within the school (see diagram).
Besides a secure main entry, the other benefits
include:
A. clear visibility to the front entry and parking
area; and
B. clear visibility to the lobby and adjoining
hallways.
3. Escape/Rescue Windows in
Classrooms
Problem: There is only one door into each
classroom,
so escape routes are limited.
Solution: With the exception of a few
specialty
classrooms on the high school level, all classrooms
should have windows. One of the windows should be
an operable rescue window. The minimum clear
opening should be three feet wide by two feet high.
Label the window with a sticker that
reads “emergency escape/rescue window.”
While this is a requirement of some state agencies, it
should be a standard part of school facility design.
The other classroom windows can be operable, but
the openings can be limited to avoid the potential for
entry from the exterior.
4. Keyless Entries at Secondary
Locations
Problem: Keeping track of keys for even a
single
school is a logistical nightmare. When contract
employees or terminated staff leave, it is difficult to
account for all keys. It is also difficult to monitor
activity at remote secondary entrances/exits.
Solution: Provide keyless entries at specific
secondary school entrances. By using card or fob
access, the facility manager can simply delete a
card’s authorization code to deny access. Another
benefit to a keyless entry system is that you can
monitor who comes in and out of the school, along
with the times they enter and exit. You may also limit
access for certain times, like issuing a card for
Saturday afternoon gym use only. These secondary
doors should also have video surveillance.
5. Classroom Doors/Corridor Visibility
Problem: Because of the remote chance that
someone may enter the school to terrorize the
occupants, it is important that teachers have the
ability to lock the classroom door from the inside. In
addition, monitoring activity in the corridor from the
classroom adds extra security.
Solution: Providing the appropriate
classroom door
locksets is an easy hardware fix. The hardware must
comply with applicable codes so that exiting can
occur from the classroom. Providing a sidelight (i.e.,
a glass panel next to the classroom door) helps with
monitoring. It is important to take into consideration
that activity in the corridor can be a potential
distraction to students in the classroom. Providing
blinds or shades on the sidelight interior can help.
6. Security Systems
Problem: Some schools still do not have
adequate
security systems that monitor—through passive
monitoring techniques—entrances and areas not
easily supervised.
Solution: Add security cameras, alarms,
motion
detectors, monitors and other security features as
appropriate for the school.
7. School Sections or Regions
Problem: Access can be gained throughout a
large
area of the school or the school in its entirety.
Solution: While gates are often used in
corridors,
there is a potential to create a dead-end corridor
and thus a fire hazard. By providing doors at critical
intersections, the school can be divided into sections
or regions without compromising exiting requirements.
When after-school programs occur, portions of the
building can be used while limiting access to other
areas. In the event a crisis situation arises during the
school day, portions of the building can be sectioned
off to limit access within the school.
How do you make sure this work gets done?
1. Form an SSDI team, and include the following
personnel:
• architect,
• security specialist and/or security
equipment manufacturers,
• director of facilities, and
• school administrator (principal or assistant
principal).
We recommend that an architect experienced in
educational planning and design be the team leader.
Architects, by training, are sensitive to aesthetics.
While it is imperative to design a safer school, it is
equally important to make sure it does not resemble
a prison.
2. After a review of the existing school(s), establish
written guidelines of what will be done, along with
the estimated construction cost and a timeline for
implementation.
3. Understand that timing is critical: Before beginning
the design of a new school or major renovation is the
best time to form the SSDI team and evaluate your
schools. However, don’t wait to implement these
changes if a major renovation project is in the
distant future.
A carefully designed school looks bright, cheerful and
inviting and, at the same time, is a safer learning
environment. There are certainly more options to
create better sight lines, add visibility in stairways
and eliminate “nooks and crannies” when designing
new schools. However, much can be done to existing
schools to make them safer.
|
|
|
|
|
Shelter-in-Place at School
by Joel K. Sims, AIA
There may be a need in some schools to prepare for
an emergency where hazardous materials have been
released into the atmosphere. Remaining indoors is
the safest alternative, and this is known as shelter-
in-place.
It is preferred to select an area or areas within the
school that do not have windows or where the
windows can be sealed. For example, a gymnasium
makes an appropriate shelter-in-place because it can
be designed without windows. By using glass block or
translucent panels, natural lighting can enter the
gym without the concern of toxins entering through
open windows.
Other design issues to consider include the
following.
1. A control room near the office provides access to
the public address system and the phone system so
that interior and outside communication can be
maintained. Since this room should be without
windows, a storage room near the main office should
be considered for this space.
2. A separate mechanical system for the shelter-in-
place room should be designed so that it can be shut
off to eliminate outside air from entering the room. By
tying the system into an emergency generator, the
gym can also be used for a community shelter during
storms or other natural disasters.
3. A storage room within the shelter-in-place room
should be of appropriate size to store supplies such
as bottled water, non-perishable food, duct tape,
plastic sheeting, first aid supplies and other critical
supplies.
|
|
ASBO International – Hope to See You There!
Schooldesigner.com will be at ASBO’s 92nd Annual
Meeting and Exhibits from October 13-16 at the
David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.
Stop by Booth 812, where we will be
promoting the
number-one web site for K-12 school design.
In addition, Joel K. Sims, president of
Schooldesigner.com will be the moderator for the
session: High Performance Schools-Where Are
We,
Where Are We Going?
Be Safer,
|
|
