Professional Development : Teacher to Teacher :
Cleaning Up Your Environment
By Sandra Feldman
While preparing for the new school year, make sure that any existing environmental problems in your school or classroom are corrected
What Can I Do?
1. Locate your ventilation unit. Find out if it is working and bringing fresh air into your classroom. Don't obstruct your vent with books, supplies or furniture.
2. Report hazards and water leaks to the custodian or principal as soon as they appear.
3. Make sure classroom materials such as art supplies, cleaning products and glue are non-toxic and properly stored.
4. Open windows to allow fresh air in to your classroom, even if just for short periods. If your windows don't open, work with your custodian or principal to make sure vents are cleaned and filters are changed regularly.
5. Talk to your union building representative or your principal about ways to make your school environment healthier.
Fresh paint. Scrubbed and polished classrooms. New carpets. These are just a few common preparations for a new school year. Unfortunately, some measures intended to make schools safe and conducive to learning can inadvertently have the opposite effect.
Fall "spruce-up" activities aren't the only environmental hazards in and around schools. Inadequate ventilation, poor air quality, mold and other conditions can have a detrimental impact on the health of students and school staff.
Unsafe environmental conditions
Every weekday, eight million children across America (and their teachers) go to schools in which the poor air quality can make them sick. These and other unsafe environmental conditions can cause a wide range of health problems – including asthma, nausea, fatigue, dizziness and severe headaches.
There's extensive evidence that unsafe environmental conditions can have a negative effect on students' health as well as their achievement. Research shows that students in buildings with poor environmental conditions scored between five to 10 percentile rank points lower than students in functional buildings.
Newer schools may have different but still serious environmental problems. For example, schools built during and after the energy-conscious 1970's are often so air-tight that they trap environmental contaminants and inhibit proper ventilation.
Health and safety
There are a number of relatively easy and inexpensive steps that can improve both health and student achievement. Carpets, which can attract mold, dust and mites, can be removed. Products that emit noxious fumes, such as toilet bowl cleaners, graffiti removers, pesticides and weed killers, should be used in ways that minimize human exposure to them. School buses shouldn't be allowed to idle near air intake vents. And photocopiers should be kept in large, well-ventilated rooms, if possible, near vents or windows that open.
But not all threats to students' and teachers' health will be so easily – or inexpensively – fixed. Recognizing this, Congress appropriated $1.2 billion in 2000 for health and safety grants for emergency renovations in schools. Despite the great need for this assistance, the Bush administration zeroed out the federal repair funding program in its first budget requests to Congress and has opposed efforts to provide federal assistance in this area. Contact your elected representatives if you feel this assistance should go to schools.
The good news
Children, parents and school staff have a right to expect schools to be safe and healthy. It's simply wrong to provide anything less, especially when we are asking students to reach ever-higher levels of achievement. The good news is that correcting environmental problems in school has been shown to improve attendance, health and achievement. We must take and demand action that will ensure a safe and healthy school environment for teaching and learning.
Sandra Feldman is the President of the American Federation of Teachers.
