Sign Petition to
Build a New Juanita High School!
https://www.change.org/petitions/build-a-new-juanita-high-school
Continue reading to learn why:
Bolded numbers in parentheses refer to a specific source found on "Sources" page.
Build a New Juanita High School!
https://www.change.org/petitions/build-a-new-juanita-high-school
Continue reading to learn why:
- This school building cannot currently support the diverse and technologically-based educational needs of today's high school students.
- It would not be worth the cost to make the huge modifications needed to ensure the building meets current state standards for healthy and high-performance high schools.
Bolded numbers in parentheses refer to a specific source found on "Sources" page.
Juanita High School Building: Once Innovative Structure No Longer Safe or Functional by Today's Standards
Juanita High School, originally built and designed in 1971 to support an "open-space concept," once featured a huge central learning area. Giant wooden trusses supported by large concrete columns spanned the entire chamber, which was then enclosed by mostly windowless, 24-ft high walls. Four narrow rows of continuous skylights raked across the flat roof from east to west to provide diffuse lighting to the airy space below. The structure sat (and still sits) on a thick concrete pad supported by piers, creating a crawl space for the building's original electrical conduit. (9)
1984-85 Modifications Introduced Design Flaws
Juanita High School underwent a major modification in 1984-85 to meet the concerns of its faculty and new state education laws.
- One major concern was that the open area magnified sounds of students moving about and especially slamming lockers. As the teachers said at the time "Noise levels are intolerable for quality instruction and education to occur for students." (9)
- The Basic Education Act of 1978 required students to take certain courses and to be actually physically present in the class for a certain length of time to earn credit. And just like that, the "Open-Space Concept" for schools, allowing students to wander about campus, exploring various subjects in their own way and on their own time, vanished.(9)
Design Flaws Created Many Problems
The ill-fitting modifications forced upon the original building, which had its own design flaws, led to many problems that plague the school today:
Further, common to schools of this vintage, asbestos, lead, mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were in the building materials used to construct Juanita High School. Many of these hazardous materials still remain, posing a constant health risk to students and teachers should the materials be damaged enough to allow their release into the environment.
- Lack of windows,
- Lack of space,
- Confusing floor plan with too many exits & entrances,
- Misalignment between the heating & ventilation systems and classrooms,
- Not enough bathrooms and other plumbing problems,
- Difficulty of drilling through the thick concrete pad to lay electrical wiring for networking, and
- An interminably leaky roof.
Further, common to schools of this vintage, asbestos, lead, mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were in the building materials used to construct Juanita High School. Many of these hazardous materials still remain, posing a constant health risk to students and teachers should the materials be damaged enough to allow their release into the environment.
The Importance of Daylight in Schools – JHS Lacks Daylight
Research: Studies have shown that daylight is needed to regulate the daily cycles of human metabolism. Youngsters especially need daylight to stimulate the production of neurotransmitters important to their brains’ growth and development.
Important studies have also shown that exposure to daylight improves students’ academic achievement. For example, in classrooms with more daylight exposure than not, students learned faster, and achieved higher scores on standardized tests. In poorly lit and windowless classrooms, however, students became lethargic. (1,5,7,8 and 19)
State Standards: Such evidence prompted Washington State and other states to enact laws that regulate the amount of daylight exposure in school classrooms. In 1992, Washington State required that no student should be in a classroom without windows for more than 50 percent of the school day (WAC 246-366-050).
In the 2010 “Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol,” our state set criteria for high-performance schools in building design and energy use, among other areas. To receive state assistance in renovating or building schools, districts must meet a minimum number of the criteria.
The criteria for school daylighting states, “Daylighting is fundamentally important to high-performance design […] and should be the primary source of illumination in classrooms.” (6, p.62)
Current Condition: Juanita High School is a very long way from meeting these daylight requirements and recommendations. As originally built, the school had four narrow rows of continuous-skylights that raked across its flat roof from east to west. A two-foot wide strip of windows ran along the west wall above peoples’ heads. The only other windows were located in the four corner-rooms off the learning center.
Daylighting in the school greatly diminished as a result of Juanita’s 1985 modification. With northern facing windows, the skylights were never positioned to catch much daylight. Worse, about half of the skylights are now covered by ceilings or project light into storage areas.
Most of the remaining skylights are surrounded by lowered-ceilings that create a ten-foot shaft blocking the dispersal of light and rendering the skylights useless as a meaningful source of classroom daylight.
Although some classrooms on the south wall gained windows, only about a quarter of the 66 classrooms in the high school’s main building now have windows. Fluorescent-tube lighting is the main source of light in the building. The building has over 2000 fluorescent tube lights.
Teacher & Student Concerns Teachers assigned to windowless classrooms may never see any daylight on short winter days. Except for time in the cafeteria, students may easily spend most of their day in windowless classrooms.
Teachers talk about retreating to their "caves" when it's time for class and worry about the negative effects of no natural light on their students' ability to learn.
Important studies have also shown that exposure to daylight improves students’ academic achievement. For example, in classrooms with more daylight exposure than not, students learned faster, and achieved higher scores on standardized tests. In poorly lit and windowless classrooms, however, students became lethargic. (1,5,7,8 and 19)
State Standards: Such evidence prompted Washington State and other states to enact laws that regulate the amount of daylight exposure in school classrooms. In 1992, Washington State required that no student should be in a classroom without windows for more than 50 percent of the school day (WAC 246-366-050).
In the 2010 “Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol,” our state set criteria for high-performance schools in building design and energy use, among other areas. To receive state assistance in renovating or building schools, districts must meet a minimum number of the criteria.
The criteria for school daylighting states, “Daylighting is fundamentally important to high-performance design […] and should be the primary source of illumination in classrooms.” (6, p.62)
Current Condition: Juanita High School is a very long way from meeting these daylight requirements and recommendations. As originally built, the school had four narrow rows of continuous-skylights that raked across its flat roof from east to west. A two-foot wide strip of windows ran along the west wall above peoples’ heads. The only other windows were located in the four corner-rooms off the learning center.
Daylighting in the school greatly diminished as a result of Juanita’s 1985 modification. With northern facing windows, the skylights were never positioned to catch much daylight. Worse, about half of the skylights are now covered by ceilings or project light into storage areas.
Most of the remaining skylights are surrounded by lowered-ceilings that create a ten-foot shaft blocking the dispersal of light and rendering the skylights useless as a meaningful source of classroom daylight.
Although some classrooms on the south wall gained windows, only about a quarter of the 66 classrooms in the high school’s main building now have windows. Fluorescent-tube lighting is the main source of light in the building. The building has over 2000 fluorescent tube lights.
Teacher & Student Concerns Teachers assigned to windowless classrooms may never see any daylight on short winter days. Except for time in the cafeteria, students may easily spend most of their day in windowless classrooms.
Teachers talk about retreating to their "caves" when it's time for class and worry about the negative effects of no natural light on their students' ability to learn.
Importance of Space in Schools - JHS Lacks Space
Research: Studies have shown that the amount of instructional space has an important affect on students. For example, in crowded as compared to less-crowded classrooms, students had higher levels of stress and lower academic performance. In addition, small or oddly-shaped classrooms constrain teachers’ ability to optimally arrange students’ seating for various activities. (23,5 and 1)
State Standards: State facility experts recommend 164 sq ft per high school student. (21)
Current Condition: In October 2013, Juanita’s enrollment reached 1,357 and is expected to continue to grow. The main school building, eight portables and the green house currently provide the instructional space for these students. With an area of about 70,000 square feet and an estimated capacity of 1,075, the main building affords just over 65 square-feet (sq ft) per student. (22,10,16)
At 65 sq ft per student, this space allotment is about 100 sq ft less than what state school facility experts recommend. It’s also less than the 161 sq ft allotment the district uses in planning new high schools. (14,16)
The custodian said that most teachers' classrooms are used during their planning period forcing them to relocate away from their own desk and instructional resources. The green house is mainly used for science except when a social studies class meets there once a day.
Teacher & Student Concerns: The lack of instructional space is quite telling in Juanita High School. A tour through the school reveals many classrooms crammed with 32 to 34 desks and not enough aisle space. No extra space is available for students to work in small groups within eyesight of the teacher. The school’s main commons area is now part of the cafeteria and unavailable during the 90-minute lunch period.
Musical instruments, science equipment, art supplies, industrial tech equipment and other materials bulge out of their storage areas to take up classroom space. Lack of storage space exists for student retention files.
In the resource rooms for students with special needs, space is very limited. Among other things, not enough space exists for: cots or mat tables on which medically fragile students can lie, sink facilities to sterilize hanging bags and feeding tubes, wheel-chairs to maneuver freely, and wheel-chair accessible bathrooms.
The science labs were built with lab benches meant to accommodate six groups of four students. The hands-on experience of 32 students in a chemistry or physics class is necessarily limited in this setting.
No large, flexible space is available for special events, such as some state testing and musical festivals, that happen time-to-time. Accommodating such events can be very disruptive to the regular classes and less than ideal for the event itself.
Teachers who must move from room to room don't always have access to the classroom keys, a security concern during lockdowns. Teachers who must move from room to room and don't have their own office space find it difficult to be efficient.
State Standards: State facility experts recommend 164 sq ft per high school student. (21)
Current Condition: In October 2013, Juanita’s enrollment reached 1,357 and is expected to continue to grow. The main school building, eight portables and the green house currently provide the instructional space for these students. With an area of about 70,000 square feet and an estimated capacity of 1,075, the main building affords just over 65 square-feet (sq ft) per student. (22,10,16)
At 65 sq ft per student, this space allotment is about 100 sq ft less than what state school facility experts recommend. It’s also less than the 161 sq ft allotment the district uses in planning new high schools. (14,16)
The custodian said that most teachers' classrooms are used during their planning period forcing them to relocate away from their own desk and instructional resources. The green house is mainly used for science except when a social studies class meets there once a day.
Teacher & Student Concerns: The lack of instructional space is quite telling in Juanita High School. A tour through the school reveals many classrooms crammed with 32 to 34 desks and not enough aisle space. No extra space is available for students to work in small groups within eyesight of the teacher. The school’s main commons area is now part of the cafeteria and unavailable during the 90-minute lunch period.
Musical instruments, science equipment, art supplies, industrial tech equipment and other materials bulge out of their storage areas to take up classroom space. Lack of storage space exists for student retention files.
In the resource rooms for students with special needs, space is very limited. Among other things, not enough space exists for: cots or mat tables on which medically fragile students can lie, sink facilities to sterilize hanging bags and feeding tubes, wheel-chairs to maneuver freely, and wheel-chair accessible bathrooms.
The science labs were built with lab benches meant to accommodate six groups of four students. The hands-on experience of 32 students in a chemistry or physics class is necessarily limited in this setting.
No large, flexible space is available for special events, such as some state testing and musical festivals, that happen time-to-time. Accommodating such events can be very disruptive to the regular classes and less than ideal for the event itself.
Teachers who must move from room to room don't always have access to the classroom keys, a security concern during lockdowns. Teachers who must move from room to room and don't have their own office space find it difficult to be efficient.
Confusing Floor Plan with Too Many Exits & Entrances a Security Issue
State Standard: An essential security procedure for today's high schools is a lockdown. The purpose of a lockdown is to quickly ensure all school staff, students and visitors are secured in rooms away from immediate danger. (25,20)
Current Condition: The school has 40 exits & entrances located on all four sides of the building that are impossible to monitor on a continuous basis. All the individual classrooms along the west and south walls each have their own door leading to the outside. Quickly being able to secure all 40 exterior doors during a lockdown is highly unlikely.
The classrooms are aligned two-deep along the south and west walls. To avoid disrupting an ongoing class in the interior room, students must exit the building to enter the exterior room from the outside. In another part of the school, parents have expressed concern that, in the event of an evacuation, students located in rooms off the little hallway leading to the theater may not be able to quickly exit.
Current Condition: The school has 40 exits & entrances located on all four sides of the building that are impossible to monitor on a continuous basis. All the individual classrooms along the west and south walls each have their own door leading to the outside. Quickly being able to secure all 40 exterior doors during a lockdown is highly unlikely.
The classrooms are aligned two-deep along the south and west walls. To avoid disrupting an ongoing class in the interior room, students must exit the building to enter the exterior room from the outside. In another part of the school, parents have expressed concern that, in the event of an evacuation, students located in rooms off the little hallway leading to the theater may not be able to quickly exit.
- Misalignment between the heating & ventilation systems and classrooms
Although new heating and ventilation ducts were installed in 1985 - when the main building was subdivided into smaller classrooms - not all classrooms were properly fitted.
In 2011, the custodian said that the gas-powered boiler was too small to properly heat a building that has 18-foot tall ceilings. The custodian said he would have to turn the boiler on at 1:00 am Monday morning to ensure enough heat by 7:00 am. The custodian gets to school around 5:00 am.
These conditions still exist in 2014 and as a result, some classrooms are still too hot in the warm months and too cold in the winter. Teachers and front office staff say they still wear their down coats, hats and scarves on cold mornings. This past winter the district provided free standing heaters and installed ceiling space heaters in some of the colder classrooms.
Teachers have reported classroom temperatures that were much less than the minimum recommended temperature of 65 degrees F, and in warm months, exceeded the highest recommended temperature of 79 degrees F . (20 p.21)
In 2012, the district improved the HVAC system for classrooms located on the east wall adjacent to the cafeteria. Actually, these classrooms are the only ones to have air conditioning. Classrooms on the south side, blessed to have windows, also suffer from the extreme heat that builds up in these rooms on sunny days. The windows cannot be opened and the sun's heat penetrates the closed window blinds. Without ventilation, teachers say the room temperature can hit 85 degrees. Current daylighting standards call for the proper window glazing and a means for controlling sun glare and sunlight penetration.
Many teachers and students also complain of the poor indoor air quality in the portables and in some main building rooms. A frequent complaint regarding portables is that they smell musty and moldy. In some classrooms in the main building, a large amount of dust has settled on everything. One resourceful teacher fixed a filter to a fan to extract the dust from the air in his classroom.
In 2011, the custodian said that the gas-powered boiler was too small to properly heat a building that has 18-foot tall ceilings. The custodian said he would have to turn the boiler on at 1:00 am Monday morning to ensure enough heat by 7:00 am. The custodian gets to school around 5:00 am.
These conditions still exist in 2014 and as a result, some classrooms are still too hot in the warm months and too cold in the winter. Teachers and front office staff say they still wear their down coats, hats and scarves on cold mornings. This past winter the district provided free standing heaters and installed ceiling space heaters in some of the colder classrooms.
Teachers have reported classroom temperatures that were much less than the minimum recommended temperature of 65 degrees F, and in warm months, exceeded the highest recommended temperature of 79 degrees F . (20 p.21)
In 2012, the district improved the HVAC system for classrooms located on the east wall adjacent to the cafeteria. Actually, these classrooms are the only ones to have air conditioning. Classrooms on the south side, blessed to have windows, also suffer from the extreme heat that builds up in these rooms on sunny days. The windows cannot be opened and the sun's heat penetrates the closed window blinds. Without ventilation, teachers say the room temperature can hit 85 degrees. Current daylighting standards call for the proper window glazing and a means for controlling sun glare and sunlight penetration.
Many teachers and students also complain of the poor indoor air quality in the portables and in some main building rooms. A frequent complaint regarding portables is that they smell musty and moldy. In some classrooms in the main building, a large amount of dust has settled on everything. One resourceful teacher fixed a filter to a fan to extract the dust from the air in his classroom.
Not Enough Bathrooms and Other Plumbing Problems
Teachers and students alike complain frequently about the shortage of bathrooms.
For a school that daily serves about 1,360 students, it has a severe shortage of bathroom facilities. The girls' two bathrooms contain a total of 14 toilets. That's one toilet for every 43 girls - much less than the state's building code ratio of 1 to 30. (24) Lines to use the girl's bathrooms sometimes extend into the hallways. A plumbing issue that forces a closure of on the girl's bathrooms is a big problem for the girls. The boy's two bathrooms have old urinals that don't flush easily under the new, more restrictive water flows; a recurring problem for the boys and the custodians.
The four main bathrooms available for general use do not currently meet the accessibility standards required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. These bathrooms would have to be gutted, enlarged and reconfigured to meet ADA standards.
The school has only two single-stalled bathrooms to serve students who use wheelchairs.
Another plumbing problem exists in the science rooms.
Science teachers report that every so often turning on the faucets in the lab sinks creates a huge rumbling sound that echoes and rattles throughout the entire suite of seven science rooms for 5 to 10 minutes. So far, no attempt to fix it has worked.
For a school that daily serves about 1,360 students, it has a severe shortage of bathroom facilities. The girls' two bathrooms contain a total of 14 toilets. That's one toilet for every 43 girls - much less than the state's building code ratio of 1 to 30. (24) Lines to use the girl's bathrooms sometimes extend into the hallways. A plumbing issue that forces a closure of on the girl's bathrooms is a big problem for the girls. The boy's two bathrooms have old urinals that don't flush easily under the new, more restrictive water flows; a recurring problem for the boys and the custodians.
The four main bathrooms available for general use do not currently meet the accessibility standards required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. These bathrooms would have to be gutted, enlarged and reconfigured to meet ADA standards.
The school has only two single-stalled bathrooms to serve students who use wheelchairs.
Another plumbing problem exists in the science rooms.
Science teachers report that every so often turning on the faucets in the lab sinks creates a huge rumbling sound that echoes and rattles throughout the entire suite of seven science rooms for 5 to 10 minutes. So far, no attempt to fix it has worked.