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Schools/Teachers are in a minor uproar over new Massachussets fire regulations that limit displays on classroom walls to 20% of the area.
The kicker? Under the old code, they where actually totally prohibited, just it wasn't enforced!
School displays limited by rules
Clive McFarlane
TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
WORCESTER- Even before children fully learn their ABCs, their schoolwork has traditionally enjoyed a place of prominence on classroom walls, in school corridors and in assembly areas.
"Kids at this age are so proud of their work," said Jodi A. Silk, a preschool teacher at Worcester Arts Magnet School. "So even if they scribble two lines on a piece of paper, it is going up. It reaffirms how important they are and how important their work is."
Teachers, however, could find themselves stymied by new state regulations governing how much student work they can display and where those works can hang in a school building.
After years of wrestling with the issue, the state has adopted a national building code standard that strictly regulates paper decorations, artwork, student work and teaching materials hanging in school buildings.
According to the regulations, materials in a classroom cannot cover more than 20 percent of all wall areas. They must be attached directly to the wall and cannot cover an exit door or be placed within five feet of an exit door.
No materials can be hung in corridors leading to exit doors, or in school assembly areas. Exceptions to those guidelines include noncombustible hanging materials and decorations, and student artwork and teaching materials contained in fully enclosed viewing cabinets.
Also, displays may cover up to 30 percent of all classroom walls, and be hung in egress corridors and assembly areas, if the school has an adequate sprinkler system throughout the building.
Margaret Venditti, principal at Worcester Arts Magnet, said Worcester principals expect to discuss the issue with Superintendent James A. Caradonio and a building code representative in an upcoming meeting.
Ms. Venditti said she does not think the new regulations will "interfere significantly with our ability to display student work."
"We want to reaffirm students' good work, but we also want to make sure we have a safe environment," she said. "At no time would we do anything that would jeopardize the safety of students."
Jennifer Mieth, spokesperson for the state Department of Fire Prevention Service, said the new regulations loosen, rather than tighten, the rules on what can be placed on classroom walls.
Previously, she said, schools were not allowed to display artwork and other materials on walls, although, traditionally, the code was strictly enforced only in corridors.
According to Ms. Mieth, decorations, if they are not fireproof, can be a significant threat to safety because they cause fire to spread quickly.
Similarly, she said, burning decorations along exit routes can make those areas fill quickly with smoke, which would make it difficult for people to see as they try to get out of a burning building.
While The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, R.I., in February has put the spotlight on building safety, Ms. Mieth said, Massachusetts has been working on the issue for three years. The Station fire, during a rock concert, caused the death of 100 people.
"We are trying to educate people on the rationale behind our decision," she said. "We do have a lot of fires in school, many during school hours. Fortunately, they have mostly been small."
School Committee member Brian A. O'Connell, who attended a meeting in Stow two weeks ago held by the Board of Fire Prevention, said educators at the meeting were concerned that the new regulations will put a crimp in academics.
According to Mr. O'Connell a lot of teaching requires the use of visual materials. He noted, for example, that Success For All, a reading program being used by the Worcester public schools, depends on having materials posted and displayed in the classroom.
"Items placed on a classroom wall are constantly available for students to see. And when a student is doing well, displaying their work can instill in them a sense of pride," he said.
"This could strike at the heart of the most vulnerable of our children," Mr. O'Connell said. "That is a factor that was never considered."
The kicker? Under the old code, they where actually totally prohibited, just it wasn't enforced!
School displays limited by rules
Clive McFarlane
TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
WORCESTER- Even before children fully learn their ABCs, their schoolwork has traditionally enjoyed a place of prominence on classroom walls, in school corridors and in assembly areas.
"Kids at this age are so proud of their work," said Jodi A. Silk, a preschool teacher at Worcester Arts Magnet School. "So even if they scribble two lines on a piece of paper, it is going up. It reaffirms how important they are and how important their work is."
Teachers, however, could find themselves stymied by new state regulations governing how much student work they can display and where those works can hang in a school building.
After years of wrestling with the issue, the state has adopted a national building code standard that strictly regulates paper decorations, artwork, student work and teaching materials hanging in school buildings.
According to the regulations, materials in a classroom cannot cover more than 20 percent of all wall areas. They must be attached directly to the wall and cannot cover an exit door or be placed within five feet of an exit door.
No materials can be hung in corridors leading to exit doors, or in school assembly areas. Exceptions to those guidelines include noncombustible hanging materials and decorations, and student artwork and teaching materials contained in fully enclosed viewing cabinets.
Also, displays may cover up to 30 percent of all classroom walls, and be hung in egress corridors and assembly areas, if the school has an adequate sprinkler system throughout the building.
Margaret Venditti, principal at Worcester Arts Magnet, said Worcester principals expect to discuss the issue with Superintendent James A. Caradonio and a building code representative in an upcoming meeting.
Ms. Venditti said she does not think the new regulations will "interfere significantly with our ability to display student work."
"We want to reaffirm students' good work, but we also want to make sure we have a safe environment," she said. "At no time would we do anything that would jeopardize the safety of students."
Jennifer Mieth, spokesperson for the state Department of Fire Prevention Service, said the new regulations loosen, rather than tighten, the rules on what can be placed on classroom walls.
Previously, she said, schools were not allowed to display artwork and other materials on walls, although, traditionally, the code was strictly enforced only in corridors.
According to Ms. Mieth, decorations, if they are not fireproof, can be a significant threat to safety because they cause fire to spread quickly.
Similarly, she said, burning decorations along exit routes can make those areas fill quickly with smoke, which would make it difficult for people to see as they try to get out of a burning building.
While The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, R.I., in February has put the spotlight on building safety, Ms. Mieth said, Massachusetts has been working on the issue for three years. The Station fire, during a rock concert, caused the death of 100 people.
"We are trying to educate people on the rationale behind our decision," she said. "We do have a lot of fires in school, many during school hours. Fortunately, they have mostly been small."
School Committee member Brian A. O'Connell, who attended a meeting in Stow two weeks ago held by the Board of Fire Prevention, said educators at the meeting were concerned that the new regulations will put a crimp in academics.
According to Mr. O'Connell a lot of teaching requires the use of visual materials. He noted, for example, that Success For All, a reading program being used by the Worcester public schools, depends on having materials posted and displayed in the classroom.
"Items placed on a classroom wall are constantly available for students to see. And when a student is doing well, displaying their work can instill in them a sense of pride," he said.
"This could strike at the heart of the most vulnerable of our children," Mr. O'Connell said. "That is a factor that was never considered."
They don't consider all the wonderful "darlings" who come to school with lighters or matches. An egress route full of paper, artwork, and even coats and backpacks hung on hooks on the wall will burn hot, fast and deadly.
)corrugated cardboard displys etc. Heck, think what an area of wax paper with crayon shavings and leaves pressed into it would do if someone put a match to it. Will it burn down the building? Probably not. Would it be enough to create heavy heat and smoke in the hallway while children try to escape? Probably. Could some of this burning material drop onto a child trying to exit the school? Definately. Could it possibly cause serious injury to a child trampled in the rush to exit? Maybe. Is any injury worth the "right" to hang as much artwork etc as possible? Not in my mind. We don't allow wallpaper or anything with a flame spread rating more than 200 in hallways of apartment buildings or assembly occupancies. Why should it be okay where we send our children each and every day?[
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