US Public Schools Near Data Centers Raise Concerns
Communities nationwide are opposing the rapid expansion of data centers near public schools, citing concerns over noise, traffic, environmental impact, and potential academic performance. Local governments are grappling with rezoning requests and project rejections, while residents are filing lawsuits and petitions against these developments. Researchers at Brown University have found nearly 1,900 U.S. public schools within a mile of a data center or approved site, with preliminary findings suggesting lower math scores in nearby schools.
Across the United States, communities are increasingly clashing with data center developers over the proximity of these facilities to public schools and residential areas, raising concerns about traffic, noise, water quality, and environmental impacts. Research from Brown University, shared exclusively with The 74, reveals that 1,878 public schools nationwide are located within a mile of an existing or approved data center, with preliminary studies indicating lower math scores among students in these schools.
One prominent case involves Project Sail in Coweta County, Georgia, where the county commission rezoned 832 rural acres for a massive data center campus by Prologis. Local residents, organized as Citizens for Rural Coweta and chaired by Laura Beth, are actively opposing the project through a lawsuit against the county and a petition drive for a referendum. Similarly, in Palm Beach County, Florida, the commission rejected Project Tango, a 202-acre development near Saddle View Elementary School, following community and school board opposition led by board member Marcia Andrews.
The article also highlights broader issues, including local governments and New York state enacting moratoriums on new data centers due to energy and environmental concerns. Experts like Ahmed Saeed from Georgia Tech explain that developers target suburban and exurban areas for their proximity to population centers and available land. Despite company claims of mitigation efforts, opponents cite issues such as constant humming noise from cooling systems, air pollution from diesel generators, increased heat island effects, and significant water consumption. Virginia has already enacted an electricity consumption tax on data centers to offset tax breaks, reflecting ongoing policy adjustments.
Further concerns arise from construction impacts, as seen in northeast Louisiana where an elementary school's playground was shut down due to heavy truck traffic for a Meta data center. Communities in Clayton County, Georgia, are also petitioning against a proposed facility near two academies. These examples underscore a growing nationwide debate over the balance between technological expansion and community well-being, particularly for vulnerable populations near these industrial developments.