Why are School Buildings Important?
School buildings often serve multiple purposes in a community. For most of the day, they house one of our most precious resources, our children. In addition to their role as learning centers, they may serve as gathering places for community events and fundraisers, meeting places for clubs and religious organizations, storage places for books and other technical equipment, and public shelters in emergencies. When a school building is vulnerable to natural hazards, the welfare of the entire community is at risk. The vulnerability of school facilities must not be seen only in terms of the need to prevent catastrophic damage that may destroy the buildings. It is also necessary to prevent lesser damage that may affect the continuity of the services they provide. For example, if a school is unusable, the children will have to go to other schools, often in shifts, and their education suffers.
