Replace or Upgrade Dangerous Wired Glass
Traditional wired glass is NOT safety glass. It breaks with minimal impact causing thousands of school injuries every year. The stimulus dollars now flowing to local school districts can be used to replace or upgrade unsafe wired glass in schools. This newsletter and our Safe Glass for Schools website are intended to provide school facility professionals with updated information about where the stimulus money is going and how these funds can be used to make schools safer.
Schools Get All Stabilization Funds This Year
Under the Stimulus Plan, the Department of Education (DOE) will release $48.6 billion to local school districts from the the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF). As of August 2009, only 19% of these funds had been released. DOE plans to release the remaining 81% by the end of 2009. School districts are encouraged to use any or all of their SFSF monies for school repair.
Guidelines for spending SFSF funds authorize schools to replace or upgrade unsafe wired glass, because these repairs:
- Maximize short-term investment
- Create lasting results
- Create local jobs
- Minimize unsustainable ongoing commitments
Unsafe Wired Glass Injures Thousands of Students Annually
Wired glass looks safe but it is not. While it can protect the spread of fire, this fragile glass breaks with minimal human impact. The wire actually weakens the glass and increases the likelihood of breakage even under the relatively mild force exerted by an elementary school student. Experts estimate that there are at least 2,300 school injuries yearly from unsafe wired glass.
