Few Iowa schools districts have so-called “safe rooms” for students when severe storms strike. Mark Schouten, director of the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management agency, says schools can qualify for federal grants.
Schouten’s agency has been involved in helping 33 Iowa districts secure grants to help construct 40 safe rooms in Iowa schools. The combined cost of those 40 projects is 42 million dollars, because safe rooms aren’t cheap.
Some Iowa schools have basements where students and staff retreat when a tornado warning is issued.
The state’s building code does not require schools that lack basement space to install the extra fortification for these so-called “safe” rooms. Governor Terry Branstad says “local control” is important to maintain for Iowa schools and state officials should not dictate that kind of school safety decision.
