The American Institute of Architects (AIA) applauds U.S. Senators David Perdue, R-GA, Shelley Capito, R-WV, Doug Jones, D-AL, and Thomas Tillis, R-NC, for introducing The School Safety Clearinghouse Act yesterday. The legislation would provide state and local officials with unbiased information for making their schools safer through design.
“More than 20 years after the attack at Columbine High School, our schools deserve to be safer. As architects, we know how to help,” said AIA EVP/Chief Executive Officer Robert Ivy, FAIA. “Design serves as a critical element in making our airports, stadiums and office buildings safer following September 11. Senators Purdue and Jones should be commended for introducing new legislation that will give education officials the vetted information they are desperately seeking to create safe and secure schools for America’s children and teachers.”
Under the proposed legislation, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would manage a federally funded and housed informational resource on school safety. Local and state officials could access it and be provided with the tools and information they need to design safer schools. Recommendations from architects, engineers, first responders, building security experts and mental health advocates would be included in the clearinghouse after being federally validated.
“Every student deserves access to a safe learning environment and a quality education,” said Senator Perdue. “The School Safety Clearinghouse Act would simply create a resource where state and local officials can find best practices for school security and design. Ultimately, it will allow parents, teachers, and administrators to make informed decisions about the best ways to keep their schools and communities safe. I personally want to thank the American Institute of Architects for lending their expertise about safe school design and partnering with us on this bill.”
AIA is committed to working with Democrats and Republicans, as well as DHS, to ensure the full creation of the clearinghouse. Last August, the Institute and its members launched a school safety campaign initiative advocating for the government to address school violence through a design-centered approach and to establish a federal clearinghouse of design resources. As part of its efforts, several of AIA’s architect members—specializing in school design—testified before the Federal Commission on School Safety and DHS to advocate for legislation and design strategies that would support safer schools. Many of those recommendations—including the federal clearinghouse—were supported in the commission’s report released last December.
In addition to the clearinghouse, the AIA is continuing its efforts to make architectural and design services available to schools through federal grants. As part of this, the AIA is encouraging the U.S. Senate to support language in HR 3055, which increases the amount of money in the STOP School Violence grant program by $25 million, for a total of $125 million. The legislation also clarifies that STOP grants can fund requests from school districts for architectural and design services.
Learn more about the AIA's advocacy efforts online.
Related Stories
Market Data | Apr 1, 2019
Nonresidential spending expands again in February
Private nonresidential spending fell 0.5% for the month and is only up 0.1% on a year-over-year basis.
Market Data | Mar 22, 2019
Construction contractors regain confidence in January 2019
Expectations for sales during the coming six-month period remained especially upbeat in January.
Market Data | Mar 21, 2019
Billings moderate in February following robust New Year
AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score for February was 50.3, down from 55.3 in January.
Market Data | Mar 19, 2019
ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator declines sharply in January 2019
The Construction Backlog Indicator contracted to 8.1 months during January 2019.
Market Data | Mar 15, 2019
2019 starts off with expansion in nonresidential spending
At a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, nonresidential spending totaled $762.5 billion for the month.
Market Data | Mar 14, 2019
Construction input prices rise for first time since October
Of the 11 construction subcategories, seven experienced price declines for the month.
Market Data | Mar 6, 2019
Global hotel construction pipeline hits record high at 2018 year-end
There are a record-high 6,352 hotel projects and 1.17 million rooms currently under construction worldwide.
Market Data | Feb 28, 2019
U.S. economic growth softens in final quarter of 2018
Year-over-year GDP growth was 3.1%, while average growth for 2018 was 2.9%.
Market Data | Feb 20, 2019
Strong start to 2019 for architecture billings
“The government shutdown affected architecture firms, but doesn’t appear to have created a slowdown in the profession,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA, PhD, in the latest ABI report.
Market Data | Feb 19, 2019
ABC Construction Backlog Indicator steady in Q4 2018
CBI reached a record high of 9.9 months in the second quarter of 2018 and averaged about 9.1 months throughout all four quarters of last year.