In a meeting of children’s health and healthy schools advocates coordinated by Healthy Schools Network, held on December 3, 2025, senior EPA officials expressed optimism that children and schools programs at EPA remain sturdy.
After months of uncertainty and layoffs at EPA, advocates learned good news: funding and staffing for indoor air and children’s health programs are expected to be maintained or possibly strengthened, subject to Congressional appropriations. However, advocates expressed alarm over regulatory rollbacks at the agency, including standards for PFAS, clean air particulate matter, and greenhouse gas emissions, all of which have implications for children’s health.
The Office of Children’s Health Protection, a vital center for coordinating children’s health policy across EPA and the government, has been renamed the Children’s Health Protection Division and was moved into a new Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions within EPA’s Office of the Administrator. In response to advocates’ concern over the office’s independence, EPA officials cited opportunities for closer collaboration with agency scientists. EPA officials also committed to investing in EPA’s IAQ Tools for Schools program, housed in the Office of Air and Radiation. EPA officials suggested that EPA’s upcoming strategic plan will guide priorities for children’s health and schools for the upcoming year and beyond.
On balance, it was encouraging to hear EPA was continuing critical school environmental health programs. Healthy Schools Network and our allies will monitor developments and keep pushing to make children’s health a priority at the agency.
Healthy Schools Network Joins Global Pledge for Healthy Indoor Air
As we previously reported, Healthy Schools Network has joined 170 leading organizations forming the Global Commission on Indoor Air, the first international effort to formally recognize clean indoor air as a basic human right essential to health and well-being. The Commission is now developing a framework for progress in advancing healthy indoor air. HS Network also signed the Global Pledge for indoor air.
Sign the Pledge!
- We urge healthy school advocates to join the global pledge (view and sign the Global Pledge).
- Also, you may watch the recording of the UN side event on September 23, 2025, announcing the Global Commission (event begins at 53:30).
New Study Links High Heat to Lower Child Development Scores
A new study published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatryon December 8, 2025, found that children exposed to average temperatures above 90°F during their early years scored lower on developmental assessments, with particular effects for children from low-income households. High ambient temperatures are believed to affect early childhood development by causing dehydration, neuroinflammation, disrupted sleep, and other effects.
Update: HS Network Board Member Tracy Washington Enger Keynote Address
The keynote presentation delivered by Healthy Schools Network board member Tracy Washington Enger, “Tell Me You’re a Leader, Without Telling Me You’re a Leader,” at the 2025 NYS School Environmental Health Conference has been posted at the state’s program website. (Click on 2025 SEHP Conference Presentations.)
Other presentations from the November 6, 2025 conference include
- Healthy Buildings: ASHRAE’s Focus on IAQ for Schools
- Understanding and Managing Pest Impacts on Indoor Air Quality
- Funding Clean Student Transportation: How NYSERDA Can Assist School Districts in the Transition to Electric School Buses
- Radon Information for Schools
- Making Sense of Scents: The Use of Fragrances and the Impact on Health and Fire Safety in Schools
