Update #21, July 21, 2009
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Indoor Air Quality {IAGO
INDOOR AIR QUALITY TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS UPDATE
In This Issue...
• News and Events
• Feature Article: The Importance of Surveying Customers
• Insight into Excellence: Seattle Public Schools
• Have Your Questions Answered
News and Events
Implementing an IAQ program is hard work. Apply for an IAQ TfS Award to get the recognition
— and the glory — you deserve. Winners of EPA's awards are well-rewarded for their excellence
and effort: apply today for the National Excellence. National Model of Sustained Excellence and the
NEW National IAQ TfS Connector Award! Winners receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington,
D.C., to attend the 2010 IAQ TfS National Symposium and are honored at a special Awards
Ceremony. And don't forget about our non-competitive awards, the National Great Start and National
Leadership Awards.
Registration has launched for the 10th Annual IAQ Tools for Schools National Symposium! We
invite you to join IAQ experts and peers from across the nation at this premiere event in Washington,
D.C., on January 14-16, 2010. Visit www.iaqsvmposium.com to find out why this year is the year to
attend.
Connecticut Schools Go Green! Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell has signed legislation requiring the
use of green cleaning products and practices in all Connecticut's schools. The law won't take effect
until July 2011, but many schools are getting a head start! Watch a YouTube video of the ABC affiliate
in Connecticut, WTNH News, broadcast a story announcing the exciting development!
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The Importance of Surveying Customers
If anyone can tell you how your IAQ management program is performing in terms of responsiveness, education,
and the overall efficacy of your work, it's your customers. As obvious as it sounds, it's important to realize that
the people you serve are the ones best able to tell you how well your program is performing for them. This
makes it essential to develop a system for soliciting and receiving feedback from your customers to ensure your
program's relevancy and long-term success.
Surveying customers is an integral component of at least three Key Drivers of the IAQ TfS Program Framework,
the core of EPA's guidance in creating effective and sustainable IAQ management programs. To effectively
Assess Your Environments Continuously, Evaluate Your Results for Continuous Improvement, and
Communicate with Everyone, All the Time, you need to develop mechanisms to find out what your customers
are saying and experiencing. Asking for feedback and acting on what you hear enhances your IAQ program's
success because it builds the credibility, trust, and support for your program that is necessary for its
sustainability
There are many approaches to collecting feedback from the people you serve, and one approach is not
necessarily better than any other. You and your team should think about your district's particular needs and
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Update #21, July 21, 2009
determine which will work best. When thinking about the structure of your approach, keep the following
guidelines at the forefront:
1. Make sure that no matter what mechanism you use, everyone can access it and everyone knows
about it. For example, if it's difficult for a teacher to access a printer, it would be unwise to make a feedback
form that a teacher must print out. Or if you have a suggestion box, put it in a central location like the front
office instead of in the facilities office that is two miles away from the main campus.
Faculty program example: the School Board of Broward County (FL) initiated an online, anonymous survey
tool that goes hand-in-hand with their online work order system. Everyone in the district can access the
work order system and survey tool through their district's Intranet.
2. Be prepared for criticism. And embrace it! After all, that's what you need to improve your program.
Consider all feedback valid and try to find its root cause. For example, if you receive criticism about not
being strict enough on the ban on air fresheners, but you actually do have strict policies in place, it could be
an indication that additional staff training about your IAQ policies is needed. Then make it a point to pay
special attention the next time you do walkthroughs.
Faculty program example: Blue Valley School District (KY) began to include a written feedback survey as
part of their annual indoor environment survey. They set a bold goal of receiving at least 4 out of 5 points
from 100% of respondents, and they have tracked their success over the years. It took Blue Valley a long
time to come close to reaching its goal, but the team took advantage of initial criticism to build relationships
and trust in their ability to meet their customers' needs. The positive ratings followed.
3. Act quickly on the feedback you receive, and then make it well known that you respond to suggestions or
complaints. For example, you could write a short blurb about an action you took in response to specific
feedback and publish it in your school newsletter. Or, the principal at the affected school could make a
morning announcement about the exciting new improvement. You'll know you've succeeded in establishing
a reputation as responsive problem-solvers when you start to receive positive feedback in addition to
complaints.
Faculty program example'. West Carrollton School District (OH) uses the results of their annual building
occupant surveys to design their walkthroughs. They make sure to tell all the teachers what they are using
the surveys for, and then follow up throughout the year to let people know how to report IAQ issues. West
Carrollton ensures that responsive actions are always carried out, and update the complainant as they
progress toward a resolution. Because of this, West Carrollton's Environmental Health and Safety Team
enjoys trust and credibility from their customers.
We asked Schools IAQ Connector Listserv members what customer feedback strategies they use to evaluate
and assess their programs and here are some of the things that are working in diverse school districts:
A district in New York incorporates feedback and suggestions into their routine IAQ concern form. The
individual notes his or her concern, standard information like location and room number, and
suggestions they may have for correcting the problem. This initial complaint is handled at the school
level to ensure a quick, personalized response.
In a Kentucky district, IAQ complaint forms can be picked up in the front office of each school or
downloaded online. Complaints are investigated within a week, but are first followed up with a personal
phone call to understand the unique situation surrounding the complaint. Complainants are updated
continually on the progress toward resolution. As a result of the district's dedication to a high level of
customer service, the teacher's union is highly supportive of the IAQ program and encourages
teachers to use the complaint form to report concerns
A Canadian school district includes an Indoor Source Environment Checklist as part of their IAQ
complaint form to pair education about evaluating one's environment for possible sources of problems
along with taking action to address a complaint.
Read more about the Key Drivers and learn what the strategies for surveying customers look like when they are
put into action in the Envisioning Excellence document. The districts profiled in Envisioning Excellence manage
some of the nation's highest-performing IAQ management programs.
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Update #21, July 21, 2009
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Insight into Excellence: Seattle Public Schools, Leadership Award, 2009
Though Seattle Public Schools only recently applied for (and received) the IAQ TfS National Leadership Award,
the district has been a leader in IAQ management in the Northwestern U.S. since 1995 when they proactively
implemented the IAQ TfS Program in recognition of the effects of IAQ on student and staff health and
performance.
Short on technical resources to evaluate their 100+ school sites, the district reached out to their EPA Region 10
school's representative to help them develop an approach. EPA Region 10 connected them with the
Washington State University Indoor Air Quality Program and the Seattle-King County Public Health Department
to help them conduct IAQ walkthroughs and take CC>2, CO, and other measurements to help them gauge the
health of their buildings. They partnered with the American Lung Association and the Washington and King
County Asthma Forums on asthma education, and yet another partnership allowed Seattle Public Schools to
implement a comprehensive Integrated Pest Management Program.
Seattle Public Schools has discovered the power of partnerships for accomplishing major milestones in IAQ
management program success, and they envision current and future partnerships as being key to their
sustainability. Seattle Public Schools is a great example of how sometimes all it takes to get the help you need
is to ask!
Find resources in your area that can help you improve your program: find your local EPA Regional
representative or find an EPA IAQ award-winning district in your state to share approaches and partnerships.
Share your IAQ success story today by applying for EPA's non-competitive Great Start and Leadership Awards.
These awards recognize new and developing IAQ management initiatives. Applications are accepted year
round. If your IAQ program is more established, consider applying for the National Excellence Award.
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Have Your Questions Answered
Is there a topic you want to see covered in an IAQ TfS Update? Need more information or have a quick
question? Do you have suggestions for a Webinar, an Update feature or are you simply curious about an IAQ
topic and would like more information? If so, send us an e-mail at IAQTfSConnector@cadmusqroup.com .
Share YOUR news and events! Send us information to share with the school IAQ community. It could be
featured in the next Update. E-mail your news to IAQTfSConnector@.cadmusqroup.com.
If you like what you're reading, maybe a friend or colleague would too — forward this e-mail! To subscribe to the
IAQ TfS Update, send an e-mail to IAQTfSConnector@.cadmusqroup.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
The IAQ TfS Program is a comprehensive resource to help schools maintain a healthy environment in school
buildings by identifying, correcting and preventing IAQ problems. Learn more about the IAQ TfS Program at
www.epa.gov/iaq/schools .
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