I had perviously contacted GBCI regarding which rating system to use for this project, back in Summer 2010, which is a small Early Childhood Learning Center for 4 and 5 year olds and was told to use the LEED for Schools rating system. However, we have some conditions which make it difficult for us to fully meet the prerequisite requirements of IEQp3 Minimum Acoustical Performance. The biggest issue is that each classroom (there are four (4) total) has an en suite toilet room consisting of two toilet stalls and two sinks. The toilet room does NOT have a door to separate it from the classroom. This is a direct request of the school administration so that if a single child does have to use the toilet room outside of any dedicated "potty time" (there are seevral designated breaks during the day for all students to use the toilet), the teacher can monitor and if need be, assist, the child in the toilet stall, as well as keep an eye -or an ear, on the rest of the children in the classroom. Thus, there is no acoustical separation between the toilet room and the cassroom. There IS however, acoustical separation BETWEEN the toilet rooms in each classroom.

In addition, there are doors between each of the classrooms (the classrooms do not open off a corridor). Sometimes these doors remain closed, and sometimes they remain open, depending on the particular curriculuum being taught at the time. Again, this is part of the teaching "strategy" so to speak; there are times when all the classes are engaged with each other.

We are attmepting to met the requirements of this credit in other ways, such as meeting the minimum SF requirements of acoustical wall/ceiling material equal to the SF of the ceiling (minus lights/diffusers and etc), as well as acoustically handle the HVAC and so forth. However, we are concerned that given the way this school is laid out and the fact that it is primarily early childhood learning, and not technically K-12 but a mix of pre-K and K, and given some of the conflicts we are running into between administrative requests/requirements for the classroom layout and the ANSI standard, that we will not meet this prerequisite and ultimately, not meet LEED.

I was just curious if anyone else had run into a situation such as this, and if so, any advice?

Thanks!