For decades, maintenance and engineering managers have known something that the general public only now is starting to understand — deferred maintenance in buildings creates conditions that affect the health and performance of occupants. Now, a settlement in a Detroit schools lawsuit has solidified that connection in legal terms.
Detroit Public Schools Community District students will see greater investments in literacy education thanks to a three-year plan to spend $94.4 million in a "right to read” lawsuit settlement money, according to Bridge Detroit. The lawsuit included claims that building maintenance issues exacerbated problems in district schools, creating an environment for students that was not conducive to learning.
The settlement mean struggling students in the district will receive more individualized help through reduced class sizes and more literacy teachers and academic interventionists.
Seven Detroit public school students filed the lawsuit against the state in 2016. Students argued that Michigan emergency managers who controlled the district between 2009 and 2015 created conditions unfit for obtaining a quality education. Large classroom sizes, inadequate literacy intervention programs, and a lack of education resources for English language learners were among the many issues the lawsuit cited.
The plan includes enhanced literacy intervention in core and small group instruction, increased support for immigrant students, and resources for students to expand their learning at home.
Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.
