ADMINISTRATORS AND SCHOOL BOARDS Your Role on the Indoor Air Quality Team "In our part of the country, everybody understands mold. Staying proactive on IAQ issues not only helps our students achieve, it also helps us avoid unnecessary distractions, liability headaches, and public relations worries. By involving parents and the community in IAQ prevention, we have avoided confrontations over minor probletns and stayed focused on the classroom." Don Kussmaul, retired Superintendent of East Dubuque Community Unit School District #119, Illinois A Healthy Indoor Environment is Essential for Your School(s) Your staff and students deserve a healthy indoor environment that is conducive to teaching and learning. However, indoor levels of air pollutants may be 2-5 times higher, and occasionally 100 times higher, than outdoor levels. Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can cause headaches, fatigue, sinus congestion, coughing, and sneezing; it can promote the spread of airborne infectious diseases. Indoor pollutants can be particularly harmful to students with allergies or asthma. Asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism due to chronic illness, accounting for 14.7 million missed schools days each year. Failing to address poor IAQ can... Result in an unfavorable learning environment for students, reduce the performance and effectiveness of teachers and staff, and increase absenteeism. Generate negative publicity that can damage the school's and administration's image and effectiveness. Strain relationships among parents, teachers, and the school administration. Create liability problems. Accelerate the deterioration and reduce the efficiency of the school's physical plant and equipment. It costs less to correct or prevent potential IAQ problems than to fix them after they become more serious. U.S. EPA's IAQ Tools for Schools Kit Provides Guidance The IAQ Tools for Schools Kit provides common-sense guidance to help your school prevent and solve most IAQ problems with little cost and minimal effort from school staff. The highest levels of school administration must, however, be committed to indoor air quality and take the lead. This starts with identifying and empowering an IAQ Coordinator in each school or at the district leveloften the facilities manager, principal, or vice principalto organize your school's IAQ efforts. Empower and be part of your school's IAQ Team. Draw on your contacts in the community to identify local business and community sponsors for your school's IAQ campaign. Communicate IAQ activities to the community. Tools for Schools USE THE ENCLOSED CARD TO ORDER THE INDOOR AIR QUALITY TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS KIT TODAY VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT www.epa.gov/iaq/schools ------- INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN SCHOOLS Maintaining good indoor air quality in your school means: Controlling airborne pollutants Bringing in and distributing adequate outside air Controlling moisture and mold Maintaining acceptable temperature and humidity Sources of pollutants in and around schools: INDOOR SOURCES Radon Classroom pets Excess moisture and mold Dry-erase markers and similar pens Dust and chalk Cleaning materials Personal care products Odors and volatile organic compounds from paint, caulk, adhesives Insects and other pests Odors from trash Students and staff with communicable diseases Potential high-pollution areas Science laboratories Vocational arts areas Copy/print areas Smoking lounges Food preparation areas OUTDOOR SOURCES Pollen, dust, and fungal spores carried inside on shoes and clothing Vehicle emissions or unsanitary debris near building air intakes Pesticides used on school grounds Dumpster odors Leakage from underground storage tanks The Issues Indoor levels of air pollutants can be 2-5 times higher, and occasionally 100 times higher, than outdoor levels. Nearly 56 million people, approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population, spend their days inside elementary and secondary schools. In 1999, the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education reported that approximately 25 percent of public schools described unsatisfactory ventilation, while 20 percent of schools told of unsatisfactory IAQ. IAQ problems can cause discomfort and contribute to short- and long-term health problems for students and staff. The Solution IAQ problems can be much less expensive and time-consuming to prevent than fix. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's IAQ Tools for Schools Kit provides you with resources and checklists to help evaluate your school's indoor air quality and prevent IAQ problems. The Kit also offers easy steps for identifying and correcting current IAQ problems. The Team The awareness and effort of a team of individuals will help ensure that your school improves its indoor air quality. The checklists in the IAQ Tools for Schools Kit provide a thorough but simple means for all IAQ Team members to participate, including the IAQ coordinator, administrators, teachers and staff, facility managers, health professionals, maintenance crews, and others. The Rewards (in addition to good indoor air quality!) By using the the Kit successfully, your school will have the opportunity to: Receive public recognition for outstanding environmental leadership through EPA's National Awards Program. Serve as a role model or mentor to other schools. The IAQ Coordinator guides tti a Team using the many resources IAQ Problem Solving Wheel Asthma Companion Piece Work with EPA to communicate success through case studies. Include your Web site link on EPA's IAQ page so other schools can learn from your IAQ efforts. IAQ Coordinator IAQ Videos IAQ ,,, Checklists IAQ Backgrounder IAQ Coordinator's Handouts for Team Members Forms IAQ Coordinator's Guide and Reference Guide IAQ Road Map Order the IAQ Tools for Schools Kit today! ------- |