U.S. public schools in emergency for infrastructure improvement: report

NEW YORK, April 20 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. public school infrastructure is no match for apocalyptic weather and little is being done to prepare -- inaction on the part of school boards and administrators has already had negative consequences, reported The Washington Post last week.

"The lack of investment and planning around educational facilities has meant that extreme-weather events routinely shutter buildings and keep kids out of school, which disturbs their grades, mental health and stability of their communities," said the report.

Destruction from climate disasters is just one of many problems facing public school buildings. In the 2021 Report Card for America's Infrastructure, released every four years by the American Society of Civil Engineers, school buildings were given the grade of D-plus.

Of the approximately 84,000 public schools in the United States, 4 in 10 don't have a long-term facility plan, the report states. Over half of public school districts report the need to upgrade or replace multiple buildings as well as HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems.

"The state of our schools is a national emergency" and infrastructure improvements were underfunded by 85 billion U.S. dollars, the newspaper cited a separate report issued last year.