Are K-12 Schools a Part of Our COVID Strategy? They Should Be.

Here’s why. Generally, the location, layout, variety of space types, construction style, and exterior amenities of modern K-12 educational campuses make them relatively easy to repurpose. Large, open spaces like school gymnasiums and cafeterias—which typically range in size from 4,000 to 20,000 square feet—can be transformed into temporary medical areas or distribution centers. Classrooms, multi-purpose spaces, kitchens, offices, and school nursing suites can also be adapted to accommodate medical testing, nurses’ stations, food service, laundry, and patient areas. In fact, a typical 800-to-900-square-foot classroom can provide space for six-to-seven semi-private patient areas. To put that into perspective, an average elementary school of 500 students usually has 25 general classrooms, while a larger public high school could have as many as 100 general classrooms with a variety of shared larger spaces. And, schools have multiple restroom facilities.

A rural or suburban school’s proximity to the heart of its community also makes it an ideal alternative for patients who would otherwise need to travel to overcrowded, overburdened hospitals. If health and sanitization are a concern, consider that thorough infection control and decontamination best practices commonly used in healthcare settings can also work in school buildings.

Using a school’s expansive exterior surfaces like parking lots, drop-off areas, and athletic fields should also be considered. These spaces can accommodate drive-through testing and pharmacies, patient screening areas, and general parking needs. Temporary structures like containers, tents, and modular building can also serve overflow needs. The Army Corps of Engineers has organized a plan to retrofit football fields, which can accommodate eight nurses’ stations, 120 patient pods, and all the necessary ancillary support spaces required to support COVID-19 functions.

The practice of repurposing our school buildings to serve the needs of our communities beyond student education is hardly new. For decades, our public K-12 facilities have provided social services, delivered meals for under-served students, acted as temporary destinations for basic health and dental care, and provided shelter and relief during natural disasters.

Today, as we battle an unprecedented and worsening global health crisis, our choice to use or forgo our nation’s vacant and idle school buildings as alternative care sites may mean the difference between life and death for thousands of Americans. Moreover, as unemployment continues to rise, access to basic human needs like food and water will also become urgent; a properly repurposed school building can double as a centralized storage and distribution center for these critical resources.

Fortunately, architects and designers around the country are already mobilizing to devise emergency solutions. We’re relying on decades of experience and expertise in redesigning existing buildings for new and different uses by partnering with state and local municipalities, healthcare administrators, and medical care givers. If you think your community’s school would be a good candidate for temporary repurposing, contact your mayor or your governor, and your school district.

We urge you—and our public leaders—to consider this alternative.