Pennsylvania SD Adds Bullet-Resistant Glass to New School Plans

The Wilkes-Barre Area School District approved an upgrade to safety measures for a new high school still under construction. The school board voted to add bullet-resistant glass along the building’s perimeter and in the school’s entryway. The glass adds a $460,000 cost to the project and will be installed by Sterling Glass.

"Unfortunately, this — school shootings, and active shootings, shooters — [is] something we have to contend with and deal with, and this is a measure we can take to try to make those kids as safe as possible," Shawn Walker, vice president of the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board, told a local news reporter.

The total budget for the project is $121 million and includes $7 million for contingent expenses. The new school will combine the district’s three high schools into one.

Construction for the new high school began earlier this year and is expected to be completed in 2021.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • restroom sinks

    CSU Dominguez Hills Standardizes Plumbing to Improve Restroom Maintenance and Efficiency

    At California State University, Dominguez Hills, facilities leaders have taken steps to standardize restroom fixtures as part of a broader effort to improve maintenance efficiency and control long-term costs.

  • Wisconsin District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The School District of La Crosse in La Crosse, Wis., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff of two existing schools, according to local news. Funding for the school comes from a $53-million referendum approved in 2024.

  • Image courtesy of Kahler Slater

    UW–Madison Announces Completion of Morgridge Hall

    The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently announced that construction is complete on Morgridge Hall, a new academic building, according to a news release. The facility opened September 3 at the start of the fall semester, consolidating the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences into a single facility for the first time.

  • Geometric abstract school illustration

    How Design Shapes Learning and Success

    Can the color of a wall, the curve of a chair, or the hum of fluorescent lights really affect how a student learns? More schools are beginning to think so.