Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
From bullying to tragic shootings, school violence is a threat facing every community across the country. Statewide school safety tip lines, currently offered in over 20 states, can play a major role in helping protect students and staff. In fact, officials from Texas and Wisconsin recently revealed encouraging stats about their respective programs. Texas The […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) celebrated $34 million in Inflation Reduction Act grants awarded to five organizations to help school districts across the country improve indoor air quality (IAQ). EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz recently joined the grantees at Horatio B. Hackett School in Philadelphia to congratulate them on their awards, underscore the importance of IAQ, and highlight previous school efforts. “EPA is proud to […]
Facilities Management Advisor’s “Under Construction” series highlights some of the latest, most interesting facility project announcements every month. Mass Timber Government Facility As more companies and organizations embrace sustainability, there’s been a rise in green construction materials for facility projects. General contractor McCarthy + Barnsley, A Joint Venture, recently topped out the Brookhaven City Centre, […]
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that the Commonwealth Financing Authority has approved 208 investments in school projects, totaling $175 million, under the new Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program. Launched earlier this year as part of the 2023-24 state budget, the new program provides grants of up to $5 million to public school districts and career […]
Securing K-12 school buildings is a critical responsibility for facilities managers. With increasing concerns about school safety, implementing electronic access control (EAC) systems has become a best practice. A layered security approach, starting from the outside and moving inward, is recommended to ensure comprehensive protection. This method enhances security and allows for phased implementation, making […]
More than three-quarters of Americans believe that period supplies should be available free-of-charge at public schools and public universities, according to a new poll conducted by YouGov for the Alliance for Period Supplies. The findings come as public facilities across the country are increasingly required to provide access to menstrual products and address period poverty. The survey […]
Facilities manager (FM) roles are often perceived as fixing, maintaining, and cleaning buildings only. But that couldn’t be further from the truth! To help people understand the many facets of facilities management, and how complex the work of FMs is, we are busting 5 common myths about the profession! These myth-busters will help anyone who wants […]
To help save money and be more eco-friendly, many schools have installed solar energy and made other sustainability upgrades, including green transportation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering more funding to help school districts across the country make the switch to alternative fuel bus fleets. The agency has launched a $965 million round of rebates […]
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released the Anonymized Threat Response Guidance: A Toolkit for K-12 Schools, a new resource to help K-12 schools and their law enforcement and community partners create tailored approaches to addressing anonymous threats of violence, including those received on social media. The toolkit outlines steps school leaders can take to […]
Editor’s note: FM Perspectives are industry op-eds. The views expressed are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of Facilities Management Advisor. The senseless killing of two students and two teachers at Apalachee High School in rural Georgia on Sept. 4 once again begs the question, “How do we stop these school shootings?” It seems we […]