Orange County NC Website
in larger schools. Another factor to consider is the co-use of the darkroom of <br />a school. Alarger-than-standard darkroom with additional storage could <br />serve art and science programs as well as workforce development programs. <br />Existing County high school standards allow for offering all seven programs <br />with allocated space for each program ranging from 10,750 to 16,100 square <br />feet. <br />c) Media Center Standards (All Levels) -The capacity for the media center of the <br />school should be ten percent of the average daily membership of the school. <br />State guidelines recommend that the media center be located on the ground <br />floor, be single story and convenient to all learning areas of the school. Minimum <br />support areas include offices, work/production rooms, conference rooms, <br />periodical storage, audiovisual equipment storage, and spaces for professional <br />collections. <br />State guidelines recommend that the media center's location should not preclude <br />future expansion of the facility. <br />When appropriate, school media centers allow for joint use and public access. <br />Additional technology and security .measures are required in order to allow for <br />public access. During facility planning, the respective School Board, along with <br />the Board of County Commissioners, would .invite local municipalities to <br />participate, financially and programmatically, in possible joint use opportunities. <br />d) Physical Education and Gymnasium Standards (All Levels) -The State <br />square footage guidelines for physical education facilities vary by school level. <br />Gymnasiums for traditional middle and high school levels should include dressing <br />and shower areas large enough to accommodate physical education and athletic <br />programs, offices and storage. Orange County Standards for a traditional middle <br />school includes locker rooms and weight rooms. Both elementary and middle <br />school levels allow additional space that would allow after school use including a <br />multipurpose room. In addition, Orange. County Standards for a traditional high <br />school provide for an auxiliary gym at the 1,000-student profile compared to the <br />current standards of allowing for an auxiliary gym at the 1,500-student profile: <br />During initial facility planning and programming states, the respective School <br />Board, along with the Board of County Commissioners, would invite local <br />municipalities to contribute to funding a community use gymnasium or other <br />athletic facilities such as soccer fields. <br />e) Administration Standards -The size of the Central Office will vary according to <br />school level and staffing at each school. Partition construction should allow for <br />flexibility of space. <br />9 <br />