Safer School Construction: An Introduction
Students need access to education. However access to any classroom is not enough. Schools must withstand potential hazards and be safe for all. In disasters, students, staff, and families experience intense mental and physical trauma. Unsafe schools can injure and even kill people. Years of learning can be lost as communities focus on recovery, not education. And without school to attend each day, students can be vulnerable to abuse, neglect, violence, and exploitation. Disasters have struck schools around the globe, and recent disasters highlight how vulnerable schools are. In each case, the emotional loss felt by the surviving community is impossible to measure.