Health & Safety


Reopening Schools

Montana School Reopens With Safety Measures

Students at Willow Creek School in Montana returned to school on Thursday. The school, which serves between 50-60 students in grades K-12, is one of the first in the United States to reopen after schools closed in March.

Schools In Focus podcast logo. Robin Randall (R) and Sylvia Kowalk (L).

Episode 4

Schools In Focus: COVID-19 and the Impact on School Design

As schools across the country figure out how to safely reopen schools, we wonder: how will COVID-19 impact school design? Senior editor Yvonne Marquez discusses with Sylvia Kowalk and Robin Randall from Legat Architects on what changes we might see as schools reopen.

Classroom with agile furniture to accommodate proper social distancing.

Reopening Schools

Rethinking School Spaces and Structures to Maintain Proper Distancing Amid COVID-19

As you rethink the design of educational spaces and structures to keep your communities safe and healthy when schools reopen, here are some possible strategies and issues to consider.

Illinois State Board of Education Issues Guidance on Graduation Ceremonies

The board strongly encourages districts to hold digital events and to use social media to highlight graduates with hashtags and messages. The board will allow in-person graduation events including “drive-in” and “drive-through” ceremonies.

Reopening Schools

DISD Superintendent: “Highly doubtful” of return to regular school days in August

Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa laid out several possibilities for classes in August.

A woman architect looking at blueprints with her laptop open.

Reopening Schools

What Schools and Colleges Have to Rethink for Fall 2020

The fall of 2020 will be different. Nobody knows for sure what it will look like, but most would agree that it <em>will</em> be different, which raises many questions for those of us involved in the construction and design of academic facilities.

Children in winter coats and hats wearing face masks and walking on sidewalk.

Reopening Schools

Living (and Learning) with COVID-19: Best Practices for Reopening Schools

While the attention so far has been focused mainly on ensuring that all students continue to receive a high-quality learning experience from home, leaders are now shifting their focus to how they can safely and responsibly reopen schools. Here are eight key suggestions for keeping students and staff safe when schools reopen.

Children meditating in a classroom.

Healthy Schools

How to Incorporate Mindfulness in the Classroom

Pre-K and kindergarten students at Centner Academy in Miami begin their school day with a mindfulness practice. Here is how it's helping students cope with changes due to coronavirus and some tips to incorporate mindfulness in the classroom.

A custodial worker using an electrostatic mister to clean an office.

Cleaning and COVID-19

Combating COVID-19 with Electrostatic Misters

This cleaning process provides more thorough coverage, essentially leaving no place for germs and pathogens, including those that cause COVID-19, to hide.

Business

Michigan Community Colleges See Decline in Summer Enrollment

Michigan community colleges are seeing a decline in summer enrollment, an indication of what’s to come in the fall.



Food Service

Houston ISD and Houston Food Bank Distribute Food to More Than 4,000 Cars

Houston ISD and Houston Food Bank officials handed out 90,000 pounds of food at NRG Stadium on Saturday, April 18.

Schools In Focus podcast logo and Dr. Greg Whiteley

Episode 3

Schools In Focus: Expert Advice on COVID-19 Cleaning

In this episode, we talk about the short-term and long-term goals of keeping school facilities clean amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grant

IIE to Provide Emergency Funding for International Students

The organization is calling IIE Network Member institutions to nominate international students who are not able to return to their home countries over the summer due to COVID-19 for a grant of up to $2,500.

Contingency Planning

Boston University Plans for Possible Delay of Fall Semester

Boston University is planning for the possibility that the fall term might have to be delayed and instead reopened in January 2021.

Construction

New Jersey Halts Construction Except for Schools, Hospitals, and Other Projects

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced the indefinite halt to non-essential construction, effective April 10 at 8 p.m. The new executive order tightens restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Adapting to online instruction

technology

Adapting to Online in a Pinch

Ideally every institution would be prepared for teaching continuity before an incident occurs. The following recommendations can be helpful even if your institution is already in the midst of a switch to remote teaching.

Caption: Single leaf sliding doors support North Creek High School’s (NCHS) collaborative culture in Bothell, Washington. Credit: © Chris Eden / edenphotography.us

Interior Design

Collaborative Design Through the Lens of Interior Sliding Doors

In Bothell, Washington, Dykeman, Inc. worked with the Northshore School District to create a flexible, innovative learning center for 1,600 students centered on collaboration. They incorporated state-of-the-art interior single leaf sliding doors and hardware into eight "collaboration cubes" to pave the way for project-based and problem-based group learning, without compromising design.

COVID-19 & Cleaning

CIRI Science Symposium Focuses on Coronavirus Cleaning and Response

The Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI) will host an all-day online science symposium focused on coronavirus cleaning and pandemic response on March 31.

Cleaning for COVID-19

Maintenance

COVID-19, Cleaning and Schools

School and campus administrators throughout North America are very concerned about coronavirus and its impact on their facilities, students, teachers and staff. And there is good reason.

Healthy Cleaning

Maintenance & operations

A Response to COVID-19: Cleaning for Health

As coronavirus concerns mount, what should administrators and cleaning professionals know?

A custodian cart in front of a white wall.

Healthy Schools

Combating Coronavirus: Resources on Cleaning and Sanitizing Schools

<em>Spaces4Learning</em> has several resources on best practices for cleaning and sanitizing schools and maintaining healthy schools during peak flu season, which can be applied to the coronavirus. Here you'll find our top articles and a webinar on the subject to help you combat the spread of coronavirus.

parking payment stations at exit

COVID-19

Frictionless Parking: Promoting Campus Public Health During This Pandemic

Frictionless parking can promote public health by dramatically reducing the number of common touch-points within a garage or parking lot.

custodian cleaning wall

COVID-19 and The Custodial Training Component

Issues impacting the ability and training of cleaning contractors vary in different settings and situations. However, all of them must be overcome, and urgently, if we are going to get on top of the COVID-19 situation.

cleaning hand rails on staircase

COVID-19

Pandemic Response: Protecting Custodial Workers

Custodial workers must modify cleaning practices and behaviors to help reduce COVID-19 risks, not only for a building’s occupants, but especially for themselves.

Despite the name, panic buttons are designed to take the panic out of a situation. As instincts kick in, a trained employee can have direct and easy access to alert or summon people for help quickly and discreetly with the push of a button.

Safety & Security

Taking the Panic Out of Panic Buttons

Despite the name, panic buttons are designed to take the panic out of a situation. As instincts kick in, a trained employee can have direct and easy access to alert or summon people for help quickly and discreetly with the push of a button.