School safety is of the utmost priority in Georgia, and school windows play a major role in keeping students safe. With violence in schools, particularly gun violence, becoming an ever-present danger, every facet of school design must keep safety in mind. School windows can provide an added layer of protection against these violent acts.
Why School Window Safety Matters So Much
School windows are not an afterthought. They keep your children and school employees safe. They also provide a livable environment, which is something that tends to get lost in these conversations. Yes, we absolutely want the safest possible environment in our schools throughout Georgia. However, we do not want our schools to become reminiscent of prisons.
Thus, the conversation about school safety is important, particularly when it comes to balancing safety needs with aesthetics and an environment conducive to learning.
School shootings are a reality that we face each day in the US. Since Columbine raised the issue to our consciousness in the late 1990s, the violence has continued to worsen.
Window safety can help address safety at one of the main points of entry in schools. Windows are more prevalent than doors, so any unsecured or poorly designed windows could give easy access to a person wanting to bring harm to children or school staff.
Additionally, quality windows are used for other reasons. They help prevent general nonviolent crimes on school grounds and also protect the school and people inside the school from harsh weather. Importantly, good windows also help keep the climate under control inside each classroom and throughout the school building.
Balancing Safety With Aesthetics
We briefly touched on the need to balance safety with aesthetics. Internally, it makes sense for each and every one of us to simply think, “Why do we even need windows in schools? Wouldn’t our kids be safer if we just limited the access points to the doors only?”
Sure, we can absolutely create an impenetrable box for our children to learn in, but that is not going to be the best environment for anyone involved. Not for the students and not for the staff.
School shootings happen. However, they are still relatively rare. In the discussion of how to balance school safety with aesthetics, we have to find our comfort level. Right now, there is a debate all over the country about how to keep kids safe in schools. Some of these discussions revolve around physical security personnel or law enforcement while others involve completely new ideas about the design of schools.
At the end of the day, schools are always going to have windows. We want to make sure these windows are as safe as possible while also allowing us, as adults, to feel like we are not sending our kids off to prison each day. With the constant threat of violence in schools, other preventative measures, such as staff training and active shooter drills, will all fit into the picture of overall safety if a violent event does occur.