xt7pnv999794 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7pnv999794/data/mets.xml Kentucky. Department of Education. Kentucky Kentucky. Department of Education. 1935-03 volumes: illustrations 23-28 cm. call numbers 17-ED83 2 and L152 .B35. bulletins English Frankford, Ky. : Dept. of Education This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed in accordance with U. S. copyright laws. Educational Bulletin (Frankfort, Ky.) Education -- Kentucky Educational Bulletin (Frankfort, Ky.), "Regulations Governing the Sanitary and Protective Construction of Public School Buildings", vol. III, no. 1, March 1935 text Educational Bulletin (Frankfort, Ky.), "Regulations Governing the Sanitary and Protective Construction of Public School Buildings", vol. III, no. 1, March 1935 1935 1935-03 2021 true xt7pnv999794 section xt7pnv999794 0 Commonwealth of Kentucky 0

EDUCATIONAL BULLETIN

REGULATIONS GOVERNING
THE SANITARY AND PROTECTIVE
CONSTRUCTION OF
PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDINGS

By
JOHN W. BROOKER
Director of School Buildings and Grounds

Published by

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

JAMES H. RICHMOND
Superintendent of Public Instruction

ISSUED MONTHLY

Entered as second-claLSs matter March 21, 1933, at the post office at
Frankfort, Kentucky, under the Act of August 24, 1912.

'Vol.lll ‘ March,1935 No.1

‘ ‘ usmv _
umvaasm or KENTUCKV

II.

III.

IV.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTI: DUCTION _______________________________________
EVOLUTION OF SCHOOL ARCHITECTURE IN KENTUCKY ........ 5
Influence of Church Architecture ................................ 5
Eerlj»r Attempts at State Assistance ___________ G
Henderson’s Manual ______________________________ 6
Recent Publications 8
STATUTES RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION OF

SCHOOLI—IOUSES ...................................................................................... S)
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR SCHOOLHOUSE

CONSTRUCTION ...................................................................................... 10
Purpose ............................................ 10
The Architect ______ _. 10
Submission of Plans ....................................................................................... 10
The School Site , . , ,L , . 11
Plan in General o'}"' “" “ 3
Administrative Offices .. -f‘_"?_;>{.1‘.uul 13
Elementary School Rooms ‘ r-j f . f .. 3
High School Rooms __________________ 14
Special Rooms . ., _____ I4,
Corridors, Entrances and Exits ' . . 16
Scuttle ........ 16
Stairways V 16
Sanitary Conveniences ' 17
Window Shades and Interior Decoration .................................................. 17
Heating and Ventilating 18
Electric Installation ’ I ........ 18
Fire Alarms 18
DIVISION OF SCHOOL BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS ________________________ 19

. LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY IIF KENTUCKY

FOREWORD

The school code passed by the General Assembly at its 1934 ses-
sion imposed upon the Superintendent of Public Instruction the duty
o£ examining and approving or disapproving plans and speciﬁcations
of school buildings to be erected by boards of education throughout
the Commonwealth. (Section 4384-23.)

Section 4384-24, Kentucky Statutes, provides that the Superin-
tendent of Public Instruction shall prepare or cause to be prepared
and approved by the State Board of Education regulations concern-
ing the sanitary and protective construction of public school build-
ings. Section 4399-48, Kentuclqr Statutes, requires that contracts
for erecting school buildings and additions thereto shall be let to
responsible bidders on the basis of competitive bids and in accordance
with the plans and speciﬁcations prepared under rules and regula-
tions of the State Board of Education.

In compliance with the statutes above mentioned, Mr. John W.
Brooker, Director of School Buildings and Grounds, has prepared
this number of the Educational Bulletin. This brings together im-
portant information which should be observed by all boards of educa-
tion throughout the Commonwealth in constructing and repairing
school buildings in order that the health of the children may be pr0<
tected and that there shall be secured for them more adequate learn-
ing conditions.

JAMES H. RICHMOND,
Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Pr
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Among
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1934 ses-
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John W.
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tion.

BULLETIN 0N SCHOOL BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS
I. Introduction

Public education is a state function, so ﬁxed by the tenth amend-
ment to the Federal Constitution, as one of the unnamed powers re-
served by the states. Each state, in turn, places certain responsibil-
ities on the authorities of local units or districts of the state varying
in size and population. In Kentucky there are slightly more than
three hundred such districts. The duties and responsibilities placed
upon the local authorities in these districts are many and varied.
Among others there are problems of ﬁnance, personnel management
and of furnishing proper sites and school buildings. No one of these
problems may be singled out as being the most important but each
must be considered in the light of the others. The solution of any one
of these problems is dependent upon thorough research and investi-
gation, not only in the particular ﬁeld but also in all related ﬁelds.

This bulletin is concerned with but one of the problems set out
above, namely, that of providing adequate school grounds and school
buildings. It will be the purpose of this bulletin to trace brieﬂy the
development of school building architecture in the State of Kentucky
and to present a set of standards or minimum requirements in accord-
ance with Section 4384—24 of the Kentucky Statutes, to govern school-
house construction in the State of Kentucky. The latter part of the
bulletin will be given over to a discussion of the work of the Division
of School Buildings and Grounds of the State Department of Edu—
cation. .

II. The Evolution of School Building Architecture in Kentucky

Influence of church architecture. The origin of ,school building
architecture in Kentucky is found in church ediﬁces. This is quite
natural since the garlyscheols of thestatcwere often held in the com-
munity church._7 As the; C(‘Inm'unityfgrew’jand the enrollment of the
school increased more attention. and thought were given to the plan-
ning of the scliool in:orde"rfthat :th-efph'y’siéa-i health of the children
might be preServecl‘a1’1d,'as‘a result, separate log houses fashioned
largely after the chureh. weretnilt‘ xﬂowever there are today a few
instances in the stvatenivhere «schools are still being conducted in
church buildings. Evidences of the inﬂuence of church architecture
may also be seen in many of our modern schools. The belfry and the
platform in the teachers’ end of the classroom, both of which are
found in many of our schools, are such.

Early attempts at std/'0 (isms/(nice. A careful study of the an-
nual reports of the State Superinteiulent of Public Instruction re-
veals that Superintendent R. T. Dillard, in his report for the year
1845, made ﬁrst mention of the condition of the school buildings of
the state. Superintendent Dillard decried the general type of
architecture employed and urged that. school children be surrounded
With conditions conducive to good health. However, no suggested
plans accompanied his report for this year, which reads in part as
follows:1

“The act of last session, requires luv to present ‘a. plan oi School
Houses, and their internal arrangement}

“From actual observation, there are very few School Houses in the
state, lit, for purposes ot' instruction. One general fault prevails in all
parts—and that is, they are too small. built without taste. and almost
without form, of the most. indifferent materials, and very often on the
most ineligible siteswvery generally on the public roads, where the
children are permitted to gaze through the little prison windows, on any
one who passes by, Even in wealthy neighborhoods, where the children
at home wall: on carpets, and sit on ottomans, the School Houses are
often miserable shanties, not calculated to inspire one generous thought.
Comfort ought to be consulted in the school room, as well as in the
family mansion. lence, the School House should be so constructed
as to be warm in winter, and cool in summer. The present, plan of
School Houses is the very adverse of this—~are cold in winter, and hot
in summer. School Houses should be built with an eye to health, as
well as convenience and comfort.” ‘l‘ ’1‘

The next superintendent to touch on the need for better school
buildings in the state was R. Richardson in his report for the year
ending December 3]. 1859. In his report for that year Superintend—
ent Richardson expresses regret at the lack of detailed information
at the State Department of Education concerning the character and
condition of the schools of the state. A portion of his report dealing
with schoolhouses follows :2

“A want of proper returns touching the number and condition of
the district school-houses in this state, is one of the greatest defects
in the existing system; and, as far as practicable, this department will
exert its inﬂuence, hereafter, to supply_jt. Full and complete reIJOI‘tS
of their various school edifices, classiﬁed as to quality and structure,
are made annually in sevéral states Where the cause of popular educa-
tion is not more prosperous than in ours, Information on this subject
is of obvious necessity: anafimportance.‘ It is; of itself, an index point-
ing to the (legeneracybr prosperity of-thenl’hore system.”

Henderson’s manual. Superinteiulent II- A. M. Henderson
in his annual report dated October ‘15, 1872, gave the ﬁrst detailed
statement of the condition of the school buildings in the state. In his
interesting report for that year Superintendent Henderson denounced

1Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1845, p. 589.
2Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1859, p. 26.

the ty
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ildings of
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ate reports
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Ienderson
t detailed
e. In his
lenounced

the type of school building and furniture employed in many
of the school districts at that time and suggested that a hygienic and
comfortable building- could be erected at no greater expense. Super-
intendent Henderson supplemented his report with a discussion of
correct models for sehoolhouscs and ol‘l'ered seve 'al ﬂoor plans and
renderings of the smaller buildings. in 187:3 he published a 111111111al
of schoolhouse construction which, as f; 1r as can be determined, was
the lirst publication ol. its 1:1 111 put out by the State Department of
Education of Kentucky. Most certainly it constituteé a great step
forward and served as a wonderful help to local boards of education
in the planning oi? their school. buildings.

Excerpts from Superintendent I’leiulerson’s report3 for 1872
follows :

“In my t1":a1ri:>1_i0sed school building
which he has presented or due to the fact that he has undcrbid his
competitors. None of these factors should be considered of prime
importance in the selection of an architect by a board of education.
Certainly in considering relative merits the question of cut—rate fees
should not enter; for example, a difference of a few dollars in fees
may represent a, difference in ability which will result in many times
that amount in waste in the cost of the building, to say nothing of
the effect on the quality and design.

The proper way to select an architect is very much the same way
in which. a lawyer or doctor is chosen, upon the basis of training rep-
utation and past performance and not; upon the basis of compo. ion.
Every school building providing facilities for ﬁve or more teachers
should be designed by a registered architect. Plans and speciﬁca-
tions prepared by other than registered architects will not be ap-
proved by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, except in special
cases. -

Regulations pcrtaiaim; t0 the Still'illﬁiS‘SliOlt of plans for approval.
1. Before undertaking a school building program the local superin-
tendent or board of education should make a careful survey of the
present and future school needs of the district. Upon invitation the
State Department of Education will assist in this work in so far as its
limited force will permit. The ﬁndings of such survey should be used
as the basis for the planning of the building program and the follow-
ing information must be submitted to the Department of Public In-
struction before or along with the presentation of the preliminary
sketches:

supplies and equipment which it desires to purchase and shall accept

‘2
vatior
tion i

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ted in
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ction

construc-
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-iﬁcations
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ily elimi—
so insure
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0 be met
prop; 'am
: selected
a ti on ship
architect
building
crliid his
of prime
ducation.
~rate fees
s in fees
my times
(ithing of

same way
iing'. rep-
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teachers
speciﬁca-
)t be ap-
in special

approval.
superin-
3y of the
ation the
far as its
d be used
ie follow-
’ublic In-
aliminary

a) A statement showing the amount of money legally available i‘or use.

b) A sketch of the school site showing the points of the compass, the
size and shape, the location or trees and adjacent builui . tlnv
highway or highways, the slope of the surface and the location of
the proposed school in its proper position on the site.

c) A statement showing the number of elementary school teachers, the
number of pupils per elementary school teacher, the number 01’ high
school teachers, a. schedule of the high school classes with the ap-
proximate numbcr otvpupils per class, the elementary school enroll-
ment and the high school enrollment ten and five years ago. the
possibility of future growth and consolidation and any additional
information 1'1.nuiircd by the State Department of Education.

‘2. Preliminary drawings showing the "loor plans and front ele-
vation should be submitted to the Siipcrintcndent of Public Instruc-
tion for criticism and advice.

ir’ (,‘oiiiplclc working plans and. si'icciiicatimis must be submit—
ted in. duplicate, only-wt To be ('ll(}<:l~il"tl in accordance with the regula—
tions of the State Board of Education and returned to the hoard of
education. the other set to be, tiled in the ()lllcOs‘ of the State Depart—
ment of Phliicatioii. .

1i. No changes, except minor changes not in conflict with these
regulations, shall be made in the plans and speciﬁcations alter ap—
proval by the Supci'iiii'emlent of lilublic Instri'ict‘ion. unless such
changes are shown on new (.rawine‘s and speciﬁcations, duly submit-
ted and approved.

5. Upon completion of the building. the board of education
shall, 1'0])Ol'b to the Superhitcndcnt olf Public Instruction the follow—
ing' facts: date of actual starting- of construction, date. oli completion
of the biiiilding, the total cost of the building, the cost per (:lll)lC foot
and the cost: per pupil based on enrollment.

(i. In no instance may plans and speciﬁcations prepared and
approrcd :l’or a building to be located in one district bc ised in an-
other district without the pcrnnssion of the Superintendent of Public
Instruction.

The school site. The selection and purchase of school sites is
another most important: problem to be met by boards or education.
In the selection of a. site for school purposes, due consideration should
be given the following- factors:

1. The site should be readily accessible from the main highways.
The approach roads should be wide and usable throughout the year.
They should not be widely traveled or subject to dangerous traffic.

2. The site should be of adequate size and form to provide
ample playground facilities. The minimum size of school sites should
be as follows:

a) One-teacher elementary schools where growth is unlikely—1 acre.

b) One~teacher elementary schools where grthh is probable—2 acres.

(3) Elementary schools in rapidly growing communities—3 acres or
more.

(1) Twelve-grade schools and high schools—10 acres.

SCHOOL SITES SHOULD BE APPROXIMATELY RECTANGULAR IN FORM

3. In general the long axis of the school building should be run
north and south so that the majority of the classrooms may receive
east and west light. This fact should be kept in mind'when the site
is selected.

4. Proper drainage at reasonable cost should be possible. A
gentle, even slope away from the building location is preferable.
Under no circumstances should a site be used that will receive surface
drainage from surrounding areas. The site should be level enough,
with reasonable preparation cost, for playgrounds and athletic ﬁelds.

5. The site should be free from disturbing noises, distracting in-
ﬂuences and hazardous surroundings. A main street or highway with
its constant noise and dangerous trafﬁc is not a desirable frontage.
Every precaution should be taken in order that the health, morals,
safety and comfort of the pupils are not endangered.

6. A safe and sufﬁcient water supply should be provided on the
site.

7. Sites should be selected with deﬁnite relation to satisfactory
disposal of sewage.

8. Whenever possible gas and electric service should be fur-
nished at the site.

9. The site should be reasonably near the center of the sub-
district. However, exact centrality may be sacriﬁced in the interest
of any of the above factors.

Plan in general. The American Institute of Architects has
grouped buildings under ﬁve heads as follows:
Type A—A building constructed entirely of ﬁre resistive materials, includ-
ing its roof, windows, doors, ﬂoors and ﬁnish.

Type B—A building of ﬁre resistive construction in its walls, ﬂoors, stair-
ways and ceilings, but with ﬁnish, wood or composition ﬂoor sur-
face and wood roof construction over ﬁre resistive ceiling.

Type C-A building with masonry walls, ﬁre resistive corridors and stair-
ways, but with ordinary construction otherwise, i. e., combustible
ﬂoors, partitions, roof and ﬁnish.

Type D—A building with masonry walls but otherwise ordinary or joint
construction and wood ﬁnish.

Type E—A building of frame construction with wood above foundation with
or without slate or other semi~ﬁreproof material on roof.

1. No school building of more than one story in height should
be constructed of Type D or E.

2. The department does not assume responsibility for struc-
tural design or for the strength of materials proposed to be used. It
is recommended, however, that each structural part of the building
shall be of sufficient strength to provide for the minimum live load
per square foot of ﬂoor area, as follows:

Assembly Halls .............
Gymnasiums
Classrooms .............................................. 60 lb.

of fu‘
and v
bustil
shall
thick
outsir
the b
visior

4
the 1:
grade
three
provi

E
is use
in co
avoid

.4
in sir
Such
entra
publi
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also i

1'
room
heati:
hang.
Suppl
connc
such

2
than
twice
ity v
carrit
be 11:
cubic
must

of lig
light
contr

tary
less 1

IN FORM

11d be run
ay receive
an the site

ssible. A
)referable.
ve surface
31 enough,
etic ﬁelds.
acting in-
ﬁway with
1 frontage.
h, morals,

led on the
Ltisfactory
d be fur-

' the sub-
.e interest

itects has

als, includ-

Jors, stair-
1 ﬂoor sur-
,ng.

and stair-
ambustible

y or joint

ation with
ht should

‘or struc-
used. It
building
live load

Corridors .................................................. 100 1b.
Stairs 100 1b.
Roofs ........................................................ 30 1b.

3. The boiler and fuel room shall be of sufﬁcient size to permit
of future expansion and so planned to provide proper natural light
and ventilation. The ﬂoors and walls of such room shall be of incom—
bustible materials and the ceiling, if not of incombustible materials,
shall be ﬁnished with Portland cement at least three— fourths inch
thick applied to metal lath. A convenient means of access from the
outside shall be provided and any inside connection with the rest. of
the building shall be protected by approved ﬁre doors. Ample pro-
visio