As architects, we know that school violence can be addressed through the power of design. But many of our elected officials remain unaware. Please take a minute to sign the petition below and let’s emphasize our profession’s “strength in numbers” to not only educate them about the power of design, but also the importance of them working with us to pass laws that prioritize design as part of the solution to school violence. Whether you design schools or not, we need you to show your support in the name of protecting our students and teachers — the ultimate goal of AIA’s school safety initiative. Achieving that goal begins with this petition.
When the petition gets 50,000 signatures, it will be delivered to your elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels. Therefore, please spread the word to your colleagues after you sign!
PETITION
Architects protect the health, safety and welfare of building occupants. It is fundamental to what we do. We routinely address the social, psychological, economic, and environmental factors when designing a building, especially schools.
Over the course of almost two decades, architects have worked with school communities across the country in response to repeated acts of deadly violence targeting students and educators. In so doing, our profession has proven that innovative architectural design solutions must keep learners and learning central to the decision-making process for designing safe schools. Therefore, we ask you to make this a core value of your decision-making when considering how to design new schools or when renovating existing ones. Furthermore, we ask you to remember that schools are intended to be communities. They should be planned without sacrificing the inherent positive qualities of the school environments we all desire for our children. This is especially important to value because there is no one-size-fits-all design solution to school safety. School design must adapt to differing and evolving community concerns, support student health and safety, and create productive learning environments.
As architects and citizens of your community, we call on you to understand that the power of architecture and design to address this issue is real. While it can’t prevent school violence, it can help safeguard students and teachers while keeping schools positive places of learning and growth. To that end, we stand ready to partner with you.