Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
As the school year begins in many areas, new West Virginia University (WVU) research finds poor air quality may keep tens of thousands of students out of school for weeks each year, hitting young students and children of color the hardest. A study by Mustahsin Ul Aziz, a doctoral student in natural resource economics at the WVU Davis College of Agriculture […]
Editor’s note: FM Perspectives are industry op-eds. The views expressed are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of Facilities Management Advisor. Recently, U.S. schools received a D+ grade on the 2025 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Infrastructure Report Card. This was disappointing, but to anyone who keeps tabs on K-12 facilities management, it likely […]
The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) has released the seventh edition of its Safety and Security Guidelines for K-12 Schools, which offer comprehensive information on practices for securing school facilities from subject matter experts across the education, public safety, and industry sectors. The new release—including updates to the Safety and Security Guidelines and the School Safety and […]
A new report highlights the concerns and challenges K-12 schools are facing in securing their entrances and keeping students and staff safe from potential threats. According to a survey released by Singlewire Software, only 17% of K-12 school staff members felt that their entrances were completely secure, and multiple challenges were cited for maintaining a […]
A new report sheds light on gun-related incidents in the United States and explores when, where, and why shootings occur. According to the 2024 Gun Violence Report from ZeroEyes, 90% of gun incidents resulted in injury (60%) or fatalities (30%) last year, illustrating the critical nature of the gun violence epidemic. The analysis extends beyond […]
Teachers across the United States and Canada are deeply concerned about the quality of their classroom air and believe school districts must do more to address the issue. That’s according to the third annual Clean Air Survey of North American Educators from Fellowes. The study, which surveyed more than 1,200 K-12 teachers, underscores the critical role of clean air in […]
In a recent school pilot, a robot patrolled Santa Fe High School around the clock to survey the sprawling campus for potential threats and send messages to authorities—even enabling a remote security team to question an intruder. Robots on school grounds are only one of many ways that American schools can keep students, staff, and […]
Ensuring the safety and security of students and staff is paramount for schools, but this presents major challenges. Schools are active, high-volume environments with a high potential for accidents. Just between 2015 and 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that close to 70,000 school workers suffered injuries resulting from a slip, trip, […]
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has awarded $12 million in School Security Equipment Grants to 96 school divisions and 472 schools to help protect students, faculty and staff, and visitors. Virginia is one of many states throughout the country, including Pennsylvania, New York, Louisiana, and Missouri, that have invested millions of dollars into school security amid rising concerns about safety. “Every child […]
From bullying to tragic shootings, school violence is a threat facing every community across the country. Statewide school safety tip lines, currently offered in over 20 states, can play a major role in helping protect students and staff. In fact, officials from Texas and Wisconsin recently revealed encouraging stats about their respective programs. Texas The […]