The new school year is here! The beginning of the school year is a great time to consider key questions about school conditions and practices that can affect children and staff.
Here are 5 key issues to consider, questions to ask, and resources to guide you.
Extreme Heat: Cooked or Cooled?
In the classroom, high heat interferes with learning and lowers test scores. On the field, heat can be deadly—in fact, it is the third leading cause of death among student athletes. Does your school have a plan to address children’s health and safety during extreme heat events? Does it have shaded outdoor areas? Does it have a plan to evacuate classrooms or the building when temperatures become dangerous? If your child has asthma or other chronic conditions, do they have a plan to address special medical needs?
New York State’s new law on high heat in schools is a good example of how to address temperature issues. The law requires schools to develop plans to address heat and to establish a maximum allowable temperature—88 degrees—for classrooms and other spaces.
Other helpful resources:
- Guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics
- Guidance from US EPA on extreme heat and children
- HS Net’s coverage of extreme heat and schools
Clean Indoor Air and Green Cleaning Products
Clean indoor air in schools is critical to thinking, learning, behavior, and staying healthy. Cleaning with hazardous products is bad for indoor air quality—it puts children and staff at risk.
- HS Net’s guide to indoor air in school
- April 2024 summit report AIR JUST AIR: Clean Air in Schools
- HS Net’s toolkit on green cleaning and safer disinfecting
Drinking Water
All states have received EPA grants to encourage schools to test at the tap for lead in drinking water. Ask your school if the water has been tested, and ask for a copy of the results. Remember, no level of lead is safe, and a recent report found that many states have not conducted comprehensive testing. In some cases lower-lead fixtures may be the answer, but bottled water and filters are the best way to protect against unsafe levels of lead.
For guidance see
- Our guide to lead in school water
- US EPA 3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in Schools and Childcare Facilities
- US EPA guide on how to find lead-free fixtures for your home or school
Renovation/Reconstruction
Is your school continuing (or starting) a renovation project during the school year? Ask for a public meeting on how it is protecting children and staff from noise, dust, and debris. Find out the projected timeline. Some states require schools and their construction contractors to protect occupants from dust,fumes, and debris.
Some resources:
- Our guide on school renovation and construction
- US EPA’s guidance on indoor air and construction practices
- EPA’s Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program
Pests and Pesticides
Schools are densely occupied buildings, typically without staff to clean daily; meals and snacks are essential during school days; spills happen: of course there are pests! But more than 30 states have adopted less-hazardous pest management policies. That’s because pesticides kill living organisms and can permanently damage children’s health. Ask your school how it manages foods and avoids pests indoors, and how it manages schoolyards and fields using child-safe practices; compare to the guidance below:
- Our guide Kick the Pesticide Habit
- US EPA Model Pesticide Safety and IPM Guidance Policy for School Districts
- NIOSH Guidance, Reducing Pesticide Exposure at Schools
- IPM Institute of North America’s Pest Defense for Healthy Schools
- Michigan State University – Resources for Teachers
Other Back-To-School Resources
AIR’s Healthy Students Learn Better Practice Guide series, which provides tools and techniques to help children, teachers, parents, and others improve environmental health in schools.
EPA’s video on building an air cleaner yourself out of common items: This video shows three versions that you can assemble quickly and easily for use during emergencies. (Note that EPA does not recommend them as permanent alternatives to commercially available air cleaners). A great back-to-school classroom project!
Congratulations To Our Trustee Tracy Washington Enger!
Healthy Schools Network’s trustee Tracy Washington Enger was honored for her long service at EPA, where her passion and expertise shaped several important programs, including IAQ Tools for Schools. On August 19, the Healthy Workplaces Coalition celebrated Tracy and other visionary leaders whose talents shaped and grew the national movement for healthy and sustainable buildings. The event honored leaders from across eight federal agencies. Congratulations Tracy! We join in thanking you for your long service at EPA and all you’ve done to protect the environments where children live, work and play.
