I use to teach in a class without windows. I can't even begin to imagine that parents are actually approaching the principal to complain about something that is totally out of his/her control. I've never, ever heard of such a thing.

My kids' preschool classroom was windowless. Not great but it wasn't a concern for me. Later the school did a radon test and the radon levels in the windowless classrooms were elevated well beyond safe limits. So I guess if my child were in a windowless classroom I might ask if recent radon testing had been done.

Anonymous wrote:It is illegal in a certain Scandinavian country for workers to not have access to natural light. For example, a receptionist can not have his/her desk in the center surrounded by other offices without at least one wall being a half-walll so natural sunlight enters the reception area. I was the one assigned to look for our new commercial space in DC and had to explain this. I support it too.

That's because some Scandinavian countries only have 6-7 hours of daylight during some winter months. Fortunately, the DC area doesn't have that problem. The DC will be able to see the sun sometime during the day.

^ The country is Finland. Wouldn't surprise me if Sweden, Norway, other European countries were similar.

It is illegal in a certain Scandinavian country for workers to not have access to natural light. For example, a receptionist can not have his/her desk in the center surrounded by other offices without at least one wall being a half-walll so natural sunlight enters the reception area. I was the one assigned to look for our new commercial space in DC and had to explain this. I support it too.

Anonymous wrote:

There are multiple doors to the outside in the hallway, but only one door to the hallway. Is that an issue?

I don't quite understand what this means. Do you mean there is only one door to the classroom? Why would this be an issue? Or are you concerned that there are multiple doors to the outside from the hallway? The school needs doors.

Honestly, it looks like you are looking for things to be concerned about, and there are none.

New Poster here, I thought classrooms had to have 2 exits, so in a windowless room, I would expect 2 doors to the hallway. I assume that's what the OP is saying.

You learn the darndest things on DCUM. It would never have occurred to me to care about windows.

What about window shades? What if your child is in a room WITH windows, but the teacher prefers to keep the shades down? Should there be spot checks by the principal or the parents to ensure the shades are up at all times?

I'd pick a windowless classroom over a trailer!

i think it would be reasonable to schedule an extra recess time each day for the kids assigned to the windowless room. Even 15 more minutes of natural light would make a big difference, and wouldn't be nearly as disruptive as moving classrooms around, etc.

Anonymous wrote:Everyone knows that kids in windowless classrooms will grow mushrooms on their heads and get moldy. My kid was in a windowless classroom and we had to wipe him down with disinfectant and made him sleep under sunlamps to keep him healthy. Alas, he still got rickets and became ADHD. Plus he became more easily sunburnt when he went out in the sun.

Can he qualify for an IEP or at least a 504 for extended testing accommodations so that he has an edge during SAT testing? Just document the mushrooms.

My college boyfriend went to a high school that had no windows.

Everyone knows that kids in windowless classrooms will grow mushrooms on their heads and get moldy. My kid was in a windowless classroom and we had to wipe him down with disinfectant and made him sleep under sunlamps to keep him healthy. Alas, he still got rickets and became ADHD. Plus he became more easily sunburnt when he went out in the sun.

Anonymous wrote:I'm with OP's friend, I'd be concerned about this, and would definitely raise a big stink about it. While it might be a pain to do it, I would suggest that the kids rotate rooms every __ weeks so no one set of kids had to be in a windowless room all year.

Hahahahaha! That will never happen. Have fun raising a stink!

Anonymous, why don't you just stop arguing and get your way.
Natural light is quite important. Even some of your vitamines that your body produce are dependent or natural light. It could not be an issue for a month, but for a school year or two, soryy but it's unhealthy.
You're just ignorant or "turtle"type personality, and stop calling this child "snowflake"because it funny and talks about your problems more than ever.
I stand up for people that are fighting for their right and especially for their childrens'once.

My child is not a snowflake, and you people are ignorant. You've lived in this region so long that you think everyone is supposed to just get used to substandard treatment, that the luck of the draw drives your life and you just have to live with it. That's just bullshit

You sound like an entitled asshole. Unless you're in DC, it's highly unlikely there is anything substandard about the school your kid goes to. It's been a while since I looked but I don't think there were any zoning violations for schools in the suburbs. Just because windows would be ideal, doesn't mean not having them is substandard. You're preciousl snowflake is highly unlikely to be negatively affected by this. Of course, you could always get a note from his pediatrician that he needs natural sunlight in his classroom. I don't know what condition would require that kind of accomodation but I'm sure you could find one.