After a school or district begins the planning process to determine what is needed from an offsite outdoor space, and has identified potential outdoor learning locations nearby, it is time to look more closely at each potential park or other community space to determine which one (or ones) is most well suited for each school’s needs. 

This article outlines key questions and considerations to help schools and districts assess the suitability of each potential outdoor learning space offsite. It is important to consider how each potential site will work for academic and enrichment classes, physical education, outdoor meals, recess, and other programs that occur before, during, and after school.  

We recommend that site selection decisions be made by an assessment team that includes key stakeholders, such as school district staff, school board members, district facilities managers, principals, teachers, paraprofessionals, families, staff from before- and after-school programs, and student representatives, in consultation with staff members from each of the potential locations being considered.

Answering the questions below will help the stakeholder group to determine whether a given potential location meets the school and district’s needs for outdoor space during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the considerations outlined below will also be helpful for schools and districts that are considering longer term joint-use agreements and other ongoing partnerships. Shorter term agreements during the pandemic may not require the same level of detail as longer term contracts might require. 

Location and Travel Distance

• How far is this potential outdoor learning venue from the usual school site and from students’ homes? 

• Is it within a short walk of the school campus?

• How far are all members of the school community willing and able to travel?

Transportation 

Teachers

• How will teachers travel to this location? 

• If they need to drive, where will they park?

• Is there funding to reimburse teachers for their mileage and parking costs?

Students

• How will students travel to this location? 

• If students will be walking to this site, are there sidewalks in the neighborhood and along the edges of the property near the street?

• Are the nearby street crossings well marked with crosswalks? Are the streets wide or narrow? Do they have a lot of traffic? Will the school district need to employ crossing guards at this site?

• Are the streets well lit and well traveled? Will the parents be concerned about stranger danger in this location?

• If students normally use the school bus to get to school, will the buses be able to deliver students to this location? Is there a bus pick-up and drop-off zone adjacent to this site?

• Does the school district have enough ADA-compliant vehicles that can transport students with disabilities to this location?

• Is there funding for additional buses, if needed, or other types of transportation?

• Are there nearby public transit options (city buses, subways, trains, rail) for students who usually use city transportation systems to travel to school? 

• Are there bike lanes in the neighborhood around this site? 

• Is there a way to supply students with bikes, scooters, or skateboards to get to this location if they do not already own them?

• Are there bicycle racks or bicycle lockers, scooter and skateboard racks? If so, are these racks in secure locations that are protected from theft? Are they protected from the weather?

Health-related Monitoring During Travel to the Site

• How will the school district monitor student behavior to ensure that students keep their masks on and maintain physical distance while being transported on school buses, vans, and other vehicles managed by the district?

• How will the school district manage air circulation in its vehicles during inclement weather? Will the windows remain down if it is raining or very cold or hot?

Outdoor Classroom Needs

• What ages are this proposed site most appropriate for?

• Does the square footage of the site meet current guidelines for physical distancing for the number of students and the number of student cohorts that are needed? We recommend using our Augmented Reality Visualization Tool as part of your spatial analysis. It will allow you to project simulated outdoor classrooms, with physical distancing requirements, into the landscape to better imagine classroom placement. 

• Does this park or open space include shade? If so, how much shade is available and at what time of day?

• Can the school district set up a tent or temporary shelter at this location? Can that shelter remain in place for the duration of the school district’s needs during the pandemic? 

• When was the last time the health of the trees in this location was checked? How does this landowner evaluate whether falling branches will be an issue? Are the trees reexamined after events such as a storm with high winds?

• Can the school district modify the space to facilitate outdoor learning? For example, would they be allowed to create simple seating circles out of tree stumps brought to the site, or hang whiteboards on a fence, create visual/sound barriers to define and protect outdoor classroom spaces from distractions, and so on? Can these types of site improvements remain in place for the duration of the school district’s use of this property?

• Is there storage space available for school supplies?

• Are there areas where a class can be contained, such as a fenced-off tot lot, a ball field, or other contained area? 

• Does the site have permanently installed furniture (e.g., picnic tables bolted to the ground) that would interfere with proper physical distancing during classroom instruction?

• Is there an ADA-compliant playground with a play structure, swings, and slides, and for each age group that would be moved to this location (i.e., 2–5 years old and/or 5–12 years old)?

• Is there an ADA-compliant open turf area for open play or organized field sports?

Photo taken in the Chicago Area using the Augmented Reality Visualization Tool by Sean Corriel. Click the photo to read more about this free tool.

Education Opportunities

• What are the educational programs offered by this outdoor environment? Is this park or museum or nature center affiliated with partner organizations that might be able to offer programming or staffing for outdoor learning in this location? 

• Are there unique features in this outdoor space that the teachers should be aware of so that they can incorporate them into their lessons, where appropriate? For example, natural features and ecosystems, historic and cultural uses?

• Are there restrictions on the types of activities that can happen in this location? For example, physical activities and sports, music and other activities that produce sound (amplified or acoustic), or other related considerations?

Shared Usage and Timing 

• Is the outdoor space open to the general public during school hours (including before and after care)?

• What times or days of the week does the outdoor space tend to be most and least busy?

• What is the plan to manage multiple groups/individual outdoor space users who might conflict with school use?

  • Will there be areas that can be reserved/designated for the school?

  • What are the days, times, and size of other groups that use this space?

• Are any groups being displaced by this outdoor space usage, such as people without homes? If so, what are the plans to help them find other places to be?

• Can the school add signage to designated pick-up/drop-off points and meeting areas?

Maintenance and Utilities 

• What are the maintenance considerations for this space (e.g., schedule for irrigation, mowing)?

• Are pathways properly maintained and well lit?

• Have tripping hazards been identified and minimized?

• Does the space have garbage/recycling/compost bins, or will the school be responsible for waste?

• Is a telephone readily available (landline or cell phone tested for acceptable reception)?

• Is there cell phone service throughout the area? 

• Is Wi-Fi available if it is needed?

• Are there any outside power outlets and/or USB ports?

• Do communication radios (walkie-talkies), if applicable, function on all parts of the site? 

• Does the space have food or other material restrictions?

• Is power equipment operated and stored properly?

• Is water left on during the winter months in the bathrooms or are they winterized and shut/locked?

Restrooms and Handwashing Stations

• Does the space have bathrooms and/or is the school district allowed to add portable toilets and/or handwashing stations onsite?

• How will the school district and the venue ensure that all students and staff members have access to a bathroom that matches their gender identity (male, female, nonbinary) and is ADA compliant? 

• Will the bathrooms be open to the public or accessed only by staff and students with keys?

• Who will be in charge of cleaning the bathrooms? And how often will they be cleaned?

• Does the space have handwashing stations that are ADA compliant?

• Are the bathrooms stocked with appropriate sanitary supplies, including free menstrual products?

• Does the space have adequate potable drinking water or does the school need to provide it? 

Accessibility

• All properties used for school must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

• Are there ADA-compliant pathways on this property? 

• Are all of the areas that will be used by the school accessible by ADA-compliant pathways, and do they meet ADA standards? 

• Are exits/egresses free from obstruction and in compliance with ADA standards?

Fees

• What is the permitting process and cost to use this property for outdoor learning during the pandemic?

• Will a reservation or booking need to be made?

• Is there a waiver process or fee reduction process?

• Will the fee be reduced/prorated if the school district decides to stop using this location? (For example, if health recommendations change, or a security issues arises)

Assessing Security

Identify Potential Concerns

• Is there anything about this potential outdoor learning site that would make families or school district staff concerned about security or stranger danger? 

• What can we do to ensure that every member of our school community feels secure? 

• Would it be helpful if all teachers and students wear identifiable clothing, reflectors, or other items that would improve their security in this location? If so, it will be important to ensure that these items are provided for all students and teachers so that money is not a factor that limits anyone’s security. 

Implement Ideas to Improve Security 

Ideas to improve security might include:

• School and district staff site visits before, during, and after school programs move off campus into this location

• Daily morning visits to check for unsanitary or insecure conditions before students arrive each day

• A guide for families to share any requests or information related to security at this location 

Reducing Potential Hazards

Traffic

• Is the traffic adjacent to and within this site controlled with posted designated speed limits, clearly marked traffic boundaries, crosswalks, and other road safety features for pedestrians?

• Are there sidewalks that provide a safe place for students to stand, and are they near the pick-up and drop-off zones?

• Are there reliable, accessible, safe transportation options available for every community member? (See Transportation Considerations.) 

Water Bodies

• If there are any permanent bodies of water on this site, how deep is the water? 

• How is access to that water body controlled? 

Shelters

• Has the stability of any constructed shelters (gazebos, tents, carports) onsite been assessed? 

• Do these shelters meet the engineering, construction, earthquake and/or fire codes for the type of land they occupy? And for the usual permit system used for similar structures on school district property?

• Does this location use heaters inside the shelters? If so, have they been recently assessed by the fire marshal?