Over Half of School Districts Need Building Upgrades, GAO Says

More than half of U.S. school districts need to update campus facilities such as heating and air conditioning systems, the Government Accountability Office reported Thursday.

Those outdated building features at many campuses have led to mold and other indoor air quality problems, the report found. The coronavirus pandemic will only worsen the health consequences for students and staff of failing school facilities, a leading Democratic lawmaker said.

“This report offers clear, irrefutable evidence that we must launch an urgent, nationwide effort to rebuild America’s schools,” said House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-Va.). “As workers face record unemployment, ...