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Absent Mandates, Automatic Doors Still Best for Schools

Blog 40, September 2025

The school year has begun. How accessible are your local school buildings?

We have documented before, in this very space, the patchwork of federal laws that governs accessible school construction. To briefly recap, these include:

• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
• Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, which passed in 1975. The latter is now called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

IDEA requires public schools to provide all eligible children with disabilities a free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment suited to their individual needs.

None of these explicitly require automatic doors, even they should be considered essential in any serious effort to make school buildings truly accessible. The ADA sets minimum standards, but meeting those standards does not always guarantee equal access for all students, staff, and visitors. Automatic doors provide a level of ease, safety, and independence that manual doors often cannot, especially for individuals with mobility challenges, limited strength, or visual impairments.

Why Automatic Doors Matter in Schools

In educational settings where inclusivity and independence are key values, automatic doors go beyond compliance. They demonstrate a real commitment to creating an environment where everyone can thrive.

Automatic doors can significantly improve accessibility in school buildings in several important ways. Most obviously, they enable easier access for students, staff, and visitors with disabilities. Wheelchair users don't have to struggle with heavy manual doors. People with limited strength or mobility, such as those using crutches, walkers, or braces, can enter and exit independently.

This helps to promote independence and dignity as all students and staff can move through the school without needing to ask for help. It encourages a sense of autonomy and equal participation in daily school life.

Automatic doors also add convenience and other benefits for everyone. Students carrying books or backpacks. Parents with strollers. Maintenance staff with carts or equipment. They also help reduce the risk of injury from door-related accidents (e.g., fingers caught, doors slamming shut) and help prevent crowding or bottlenecks at entrances, especially during emergencies or busy times.

So, while it is incredible that government requirements don't specifically call for automatic doors at entrances to school buildings, their use is largely recognized as a best practice. Often for the very reason that they exceed minimum compliance and improve real-world accessibility to a wider range of visitors.

Plus, automatic doors are often more cost-effective than commonly assumed, especially when considering long-term benefits such as life cycle costs, energy efficiency, and the availability of affordable models. When properly maintained, these doors operate reliably for many years and can virtually pay for themselves through increased convenience and reduced energy costs. For all these reasons, we encourage school districts, facility managers, architects, and contractors to include automatic doors in all school building and renovations projects. It's a simple upgrade that makes a lasting impact.

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