Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Michigan High School Designed to Protect Students from Mass Shootings

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 08/26/19

With the high frequency of mass shootings in the United States, Fruitport School District administrators had campus safety on their mind when designing new sections of Fruitport High School in Michigan. The $48 million project will include curved hallways and extra layers of protection for students, teachers and staff in the event of a shooting.  

Construction for the high school is ongoing and include major renovations to the existing building and adding new sections with safety features. The curved hallways reduce the range of an active shooter — meaning they won’t be able to see the entire length of the hallway. Cement blocks jutting out along the hallway provide cover to students and allow them to seek refuge within a classroom.

“If I go to FPH and I want to be an active shooter, I’m going in knowing I have reduced sightlines,” Fruitport Superintendent Bob Szymoniak told the Washington Post. “It has reduced his ability to do harm.”

Inside the classrooms, students are able to hide along a side wall known as the “shadow zone,” where they can’t be seen by a gunman from the hallway.

Inside the classrooms, students are able to hide along a side wall known as the “shadow zone,” where they can’t be seen by a gunman from the hallway. Impact resistant film will go on all classroom windows in the new high school. The school plans to implement access control locks in every classroom which gives school leaders the ability to lock down the entire school with the push of a button.

By adding layers of safety it will buy students, teachers and staff time as police respond to the scene, Szymoniak told a local news station.

Matt Slagle, an architect for the project and director of K-12 projects at the TowerPinkster design firm, told the Washington Post he wanted to create a welcoming environment for students without compromising campus security.

Construction for the entire project is expected to finish in 2021. Fruitport School District students go back to school on Sept. 3.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • Construction Begins on New University Research Vessel

    Boat-building company All American Marine recently announced that it has begun construction on a new catamaran research vessel for the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) in Port Aransas, Texas, according to a news release.

  • UCF Modernizes College of Hospitality Management

    The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., recently completed a major renovation effort for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, according to a news release. The project modernized 77,600 square feet worth of academic classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative spaces to support both students and faculty.

  • UT-San Antonio Begins Residence Hall Renovations

    The University of Texas at San Antonio recently began a $6-million renovation project to one of its residence halls, according to a news release. Originally completed in 1986, Chisolm Hall measures in at 120,860 square feet and is the oldest and largest residence hall on campus.