ACLU of Maryland Urges Health, Safety, and Conditions for Learning in School Buildings

In the midst of the state's first comprehensive review of school facilities in many years and with many students attending crumbling or overcrowded schools, the ACLU of Maryland recently called on the state to give priority to building conditions that support learning.

In January, the ACLU of Maryland released an analysis of the 31 criteria for adequate school facilities created by the Maryland Task Force to Study Public School Facilities. The Task Force developed these "fundamental elements" and wanted schools in the state to use them to determine the adequacy of their own facilities, but provided no ranking. The ACLU asked an independent researcher to rank the criteria based on past research studies.

"Prioritizations of 31 Criteria for School Building Adequacy," written by Dr. Glen Earthman, presents a wealth of research which links the condition of school facilities and the level of student achievement. According to the report, a student's comfort and ability to focus within their learning environment may cause score differences on achievement tests.

The study also recognizes that older schools, usually found in low-income communities, are more likely to be in poor condition. The author writes, "When low-income students attend school in a building that does not have the basic elements such as safety and health as well as those elements that have been proven to relate directly to student performance, they are doubly disadvantaged."

Dr. Earthman concludes that districts and the state must first work to ensure safe and healthy public schools and to ensure conditions that most directly affect student achievement, including:

Human comfort (temperature regulated by appropriate heating and air conditioning systems),

Indoor air quality,

Proper lighting,

Acoustical control (student ability to hear clearly can affect achievement),

Quality of Secondary Science Laboratories, and

Student capacity and overcrowding.

Prepared February 12, 2004