If you’re interested in seeing just how poor the building conditions are at America’s schools, look no further than the General Accounting Office’s (GAO) February 1995 report, “School Facilities: Condition of America’s Schools.” That report, as well as others generated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), more than support what everyone already knows: that many K-12 school buildings in the United States need help.
The reports repeatedly point to conditions that are now known to be dangerous but weren’t considered a problem years ago, such as the presence of asbestos or lead. In other instances, the reports point to human error, such as improper use and maintenance of equipment, which has led to problems in schools.