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Tag: School Safety

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Chan, T.C., & Dishman, M. (2011). 1 (1)

President Obama’s Education Blueprint of March, 2010 pinpointed safety and health conditions of school facilities as essential elements to improve school learning environment. The Blueprint concluded with increased flexibility and use of data to target health and safety needs of schools. This paper explored the current literature about school safety and health environment issues and discussed how safe and healthy school environment could be created. In addition to budget constraints, poor design, poor construction, poor supervision, poor maintenance, high abuse, high vandalism, high maintenance, and high risks are identified as challenges to school safety and health conditions. Implementation of flexibility and use of data to achieve a safe and healthy school environment for learning was also discussed.

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(2011). Webinar, ACEF: The American Clearinghouse on Educational Facilities.

In this online learning opportunity, content and resources will be shared to support a strategic approach to assessing matters of safety and security in school settings. Current research will be cited and you will be directed to a broad scope of resources to support your learning in this area. A variety of tools will be discussed to support implementation at the local level. Outcomes from this session will allow you to activate and mobilize a call to action. [PowerPoint Presentation of Live Webinar]

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Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) (2011).

This topical report addresses the characteristics of university housing fires reported to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) between 2007 and 009 and is an update to the topical report, University Housing Fires (Volume 10, Issue 1, released June 2010). From 2007 to 2009, an estimated 3,800 university housing fires occurred in the United States each year. These fires account for approximately 1 percent of total residential building fires responded to by fire departments across the United States. University housing fires resulted in a yearly average of 0 deaths, 25 injuries, and $9 million in property loss.

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Kuhlman, R. (2010).

School districts are responsible for the education of almost 50 million public school students. Nearly all decision about the use and location of school facilities are made by local school districts-but the impact of these decisions goes far beyond the school and the education of its students. This report identifies the larger community interest in decisions about retaining existing schools and deciding where to locate new ones. It describes the states' role in school siting decisions and identifies state level policy changes that will ensure that educational, environmental, health, community, and fiscal considerations are weighed by communities when school districts make school closing, consolidation, and site selection decisions.

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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (2010).

In recent years, it is estimated that there were more than 200,000 injuries annually on public playgrounds across the country. By following the recommended guidelines in this handbook, you and your community can create a safer playground environment for all children and contribute to the reduction of playground-related deaths and injuries.

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United States Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2010). (FEMA P-424)

This manual is the updated version of the original FEMA 424 published in January 2004. The original manual was the first of a series of publications (FEMA 577 – Design Guide for Improving Hospital Safety in Earthquakes, Floods, and High Winds: Providing Protection to People and Building and FEMA 543 – Design Guide for Improving Critical Facility Safety from Flooding and High Winds,) to provide guidance for the protection of various types of structures from natural disasters. FEMA P-424 addresses the protection of schools and their occupants against natural hazards (earthquakes, floods, and high winds.) Its intended audience is design professionals and school officials involved in the technical and financial decisions of school construction, repair, and renovations.

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Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) (2009).

This booklet presents case studies of three schools that were struck by tornadoes. The resulting damage to these schools was examined by teams of structural engineers, building scientists, engineering and architectural faculties, building administrators, and representatives of the architectural firms that designed the buildings. From these and other examinations, guidance has been developed for selecting the safest areas in existing buildings – areas that may offer protection if a tornado strikes – referred to in this booklet as the best available refuge areas. The guidance presented in this booklet is intended primarily to help building administrators, architects, and engineers select the best available refuge areas in existing schools. Building administrators, architects, and engineers are encouraged to apply this guidance so that the number of injuries and deaths will be minimized if a tornado strikes an occupied school.

http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1456-20490-4099/fema_p_431.pdf

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Dufresne, R. (2009). 75 (2)

In the wake of a major disaster, damage assessment can be particularly challenging for organizations with dozens or even hundreds of affected properties. Those with well-documented information about predisaster facility conditions can more readily pinpoint those facilities that are at the greatest risk of damage and to determine how to prioritize the assessment process. In the past, a comprehensive and well-organized plan room was considered a best-in-class approach to supporting the operations team in its disaster response. However, if such a plan room is damaged in the disaster, the organization's ability to respond effectively can be significantly impaired and the loss of data can be crippling. Today, best practices dictate that critical information be stored electronically in multiple locations to minimize the effect of a single event. For school systems, having accurate information along with an established centralized system can increase response time and truly affect the days, weeks, and even months following a disaster. From minimizing the interruption of classroom time to construction dollars saved, having a handle on the asset portfolio is the first major step in being prepared to respond.

http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ918583

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Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Transportation Institute (2009). (0-5470-1)

Appendix A: Guidelines for traffic control for school areas is a companion piece to the Speeds in School Zones study. School speed zones are frequently requested traffic controls for school areas, based on the common belief that if the transportation agency would only install a reduced speed limit, then drivers would no longer speed through the area. This research project was tasked with reviewing existing practices and developing guidelines regarding the establishment of school zones. Researchers documented existing knowledge on traffic control devices in school zones using a review of previous research that examined effectiveness of devices, a survey of practitioners on signing and marking, a review of state and city school zone guidelines and warrants, and a telephone survey of law enforcement officers. Researchers also collected field data at 24 school zones across Texas and analyzed the data for findings on speed-distance relationships, speed time relationships, influences of various site characteristics on speeds, and special characteristics of school zones with buffer zones. The findings from these analyses were used in developing suggested guidelines for traffic control devices, including school speed zones, near schools in Texas. The Guidelines are designed to serve as a supplement to the Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and the manual on Procedures for Establishing Speed Zones. They are included in this report as Appendix A. Major topics in the Guidelines include: definitions, school location, school speed zone characteristics, pavement markings, crosswalks, school entrances, and conditions for removing a school speed zone.

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