Leading school-design architect Jay Brotman, AIA, has testified before senior White House cabinet officials to push for school design best practices that support open and positive learning environments that also enhance safety and security.
Brotman, designer of the new Sandy Hook Elementary School and partner at Svigals + Partners, testified as a representative of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), which has launched a variety of initiatives to help address school violence through design. AIA and Brotman are also advocating for a federal clearinghouse of informational design resources in addition to federal school design funding, which Brotman addressed during his remarks to the Federal Commission on School Safety (FCSS).
Brotman testified to members of the FCSS, including U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos (Chair); Attorney General Jeff Sessions; Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar; and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and other panelists.
Visit the AIA website for more information on designing safer schools.