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School and District Officials
Follow the links below to information prepared especially for you!
- School and District Officials
- Teachers and Students
- Facilities Staff
- Parents
- Health Care Professionals
- The Media
Envisioning Excellence: Lessons from Effective School Indoor Air Quality Programs. Read more about this exciting tool.
What Should I Know about School IAQ?
IAQ in schools is very important. Good IAQ can promote student, teacher, and staff health, performance, and school attendance, while poor IAQ in schools can lead to health problems, diminished performance, and school absences. Failure to prevent or quickly resolve school IAQ problems can:
- Increase the potential for short-term and long-term health problems, such as asthma (the number one cause of student absenteeism)
- Increase student, teacher, and staff absenteeism
- Reduce student, teacher, and staff productivity
- Accelerate deterioration and reduce efficiency of equipment and facilities
- Strain relationships among school administration, teachers, parents, and staff
- Create potential liability problems
The IAQ TfS Program is a comprehensive resource to help schools understand IAQ issues, address IAQ problems, and improve school occupant health and performance.
Is Poor IAQ a Big Problem in Schools?
Yes, but it doesn't have to be. In some school districts, IAQ problems have led to emergency evacuations and the closure of school facilities. Today, the average school building is about 42 years old. More than 75 percent of America’s schools were built before 1970. Unfortunately, in far too many cases, because of past budget shortfalls, many of our schools are in poor condition, leading to a host of environmental problems that can have dramatic impacts on children, staff, learning, and the fiscal bottom line.
Did You Know?
Asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism due to chronic disease and 14 million schools days are missed each year due to asthma. Therefore, it is critical for schools to control environmental asthma triggers that can cause and worsen asthma attacks.
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, over half of U.S. schools have problems linked to poor IAQ. With nearly 56 million people, or 20 percent of the U.S. population, spending their days inside elementary and secondary schools, IAQ problems in schools are a significant concern.
Poor IAQ can lead to serious health problems for students, teachers, and school staff that often result in school absences. Common health effects related to exposure to indoor air contaminants include headache, dizziness, nausea, allergy attacks, respiratory problems, and sometimes life threatening conditions, such as Legionnaire’s disease, carbon monoxide poisoning, and severe asthma attacks.
- To learn more about common symptoms associated with exposures to indoor air contaminants in schools, visit Common Symptoms.
Asthma is one of the most troubling health problems related to poor IAQ in schools. Nearly one school-aged child in 13 has asthma, and substantial evidence indicates that indoor environmental exposure to allergens, such as dust mites, pet dander, other pests, and molds, can trigger asthma symptoms.
- Visit Managing Asthma in Schools to learn about simple steps schools can take to manage environmental asthma triggers.
Student performance suffers in schools with poor IAQ even when problems are not severe enough to cause illness or absence. Schools that do not maintain healthy IAQ may see performance drop because of increased absenteeism due to illness, inability to perform complex reasoning tasks, and a lack of concentration on school subjects.
- To learn more about the links between IAQ and student performance in schools, visit Benefits of Good IAQ - Increased Student Performance.
What Kinds of IAQ Problems Do Schools Face?
Schools face a variety of potential IAQ problems, and every school’s IAQ is different. Several factors work together to determine a school’s IAQ: site, climate, building structure, mechanical systems, construction techniques, contaminant sources (indoor and outdoor), and building occupant behavior. Depending on the way these factors interact, schools may experience problems caused by:
- Biological contaminants (mold, pet dander, pollen, etc.)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Carbon monoxide (CO)
- Dust Mites
- Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) or Secondhand Smoke
- Lead (Pb)
- Nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2)
- Pesticides
- Radon (Rn)
- Other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as formaldehyde, solvents, and cleaning agents
- HVAC System: the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is not able to control air pollutant levels and/or ensure thermal comfort
Visit the Schools, IAQ, and Health to learn more.
EPA provides a wealth of information and resources for addressing the contaminants listed above and many other school health risks at www.epa.gov/iaq. You will find scientific information about the sources and health effects of indoor environmental contaminants as well as guidance, tools, and resources to help you solve indoor air problems.
What Does My School/District Have to Gain by Having an IAQ Program?
According to a 2002 EPA survey of public and private schools across the country, respondents indicated that their IAQ programs have led to improved workplace satisfaction, fewer asthma attacks, fewer visits to the school nurse, and lower absenteeism. When actively supported by the school administration, an IAQ program appears to be a valuable factor in improving the learning environment and helping schools meet their core mission of educating children.
EPA developed the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program to help schools identify, resolve, and prevent IAQ problems. Through simple, low-cost measures, schools can:
- Reduce IAQ-related health risks and triggers for asthma
- Identify sources of mold
- Improve performance and productivity
- Avoid costly repairs
- Prevent negative publicity and loss of parent and community trust
- Avoid liability problems
Economic data and scientific studies on the health impacts of poor IAQ provide additional evidence of the benefits that may be associated with implementing an IAQ program.
To learn more about the health effects of poor IAQ, visit Schools, IAQ, and Health.
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Benefits of Improving Air Quality in the Indoor Environment This full-color brochure describes the many benefits of using the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program to improve IAQ and the quality of the learning environment. Benefits highlighted in the brochure include: successful outcomes in schools (i.e., health benefits and cost savings), research on IAQ and schools (i.e., cost savings, performance, and health effects), mold remediation, and asthma management. This brochure is a great companion guide to help school staff communicate the importance and benefits of improving IAQ in schools and to encourage upper level management and the community to adopt and support the IAQ TfS Program.
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Our IAQ TfS Case Studies profile schools and districts across the nation that are reaping the benefits of improved indoor air quality by successfully implementing the IAQ TfS Action Kit and Program.
Environmental Health in Schools
How Can I Learn More about Environmental Health in Schools?
Visit EPA’s Healthy School Environments epa.gov/schools, to find a wealth of information on all environmental health risks in schools and no-cost tools, guidance, and support for maintaining healthy school environments. The Healthy Schools Website covers indoor environmental issues and outdoor risks, water and air-based risks, materials selection, use and storage, and many other topic areas. On the Website, you will find information and no-cost resources and tools to help you manage lead in school drinking water, chemical exposures and management at school, diesel fumes from school buses, and much more.
Be sure to check out EPA's newest tool to help schools and school districts manage a full range of environmental health and safety concerns – the Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool (HealthySEAT). HealthySEAT is unique software designed to help school districts and individual schools evaluate and manage their school facilities for key environmental, safety, and health issues. HealthySEAT comes pre-loaded with checklists that address federal regulatory and voluntary programs for schools and the software can be customized by schools and districts to include state and local policies as well. There are no reporting requirements and EPA will provide the tool at no cost!
Download HealthySEAT today and use it to coordinate an integrated school health program that improves student and staff health and performance, lowers building maintenance costs, and prevents future problems.
What is My Role in Maintaining Good IAQ in My School Buildings?
Maintaining good IAQ requires a coordinated management approach that provides for building occupant education and establishes some routine inspection and maintenance policies. Officials interact with all members of the school community -- building staff, administrative staff, teachers, students, parents, local government officials, and many others. That puts you in an ideal position to share basic information about IAQ with all of the people who can have an effect on its quality and to champion a coordinated school IAQ management program.
Use the IAQ TfS Action Kit! All of the steps you need to consider to set up a school IAQ management program are covered in the IAQ TfS Action Kit -- a resource available to you at no cost that includes information on IAQ, typical pollutant sources, management techniques, and guidelines on how to educate and communicate with your school community about IAQ issues. The IAQ TfS Action Kit contains detailed checklists designed for different members of the school community – teachers, school health professionals, kitchen staff, administrative office staff, facility managers, custodial staff, etc. -- that provide simple advice about common IAQ problems in schools and steps each community member can take as part of their regular jobs to help maintain a healthy environment.
- Find out more. You can download most of the IAQ TfS Action Kit and you can order a free copy of the Action Kit at www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/actionkit.html.
Equip yourself with EPA’s materials to help you explain IAQ issues and promote EPA’s no-cost, voluntary programs to other school officials, teachers, facility staff, parents, and your school community. Follow the tips in the IAQ TfS Action Kit about how to communicate about IAQ issues to build momentum for a school environmental health project. In partnership with your colleagues, teachers, students, and school facility staff, you can use EPA’s resources and guidance to help maintain healthy and safe school environments.
With the information on this Website and in our no-cost materials, you can help improve IAQ, student and staff performance, and reduce absenteeism by taking straight forward actions, like the following:
- Show teachers how to keep their ventilation units free of clutter
- Work with the facilities staff to relocate dumpsters and keep idling vehicles away from outdoor air intakes
- Remind staff to report any water leaks immediately and train facilities staff to respond quickly
- Examine school pest control policies to minimize the use of pesticides
Most effective school IAQ management programs are championed by a dedicated school or district official who is passionate about keeping students healthy and encouraging their top performance. Promote school IAQ management and other environmental health issues in schools. Use EPA’s no-cost materials and guidance to help you be a hero for children’s environmental health in schools.
School Districts Using IAQ TfS Guidance
Are School Districts Like Mine Using IAQ Tools for Schools Guidance?
Yes. According to the 2002 IAQ Management Practices in Schools Survey, 22 percent (or about 26,000) of the nation's schools have adopted IAQ management programs consistent with EPA's IAQ TfS guidance. Many schools and districts with experience addressing IAQ problems and using IAQ TfS will offer support and guidance to schools and districts that are new to the program or to peers that are trying to resolve specific issues. Visit the IAQ TfS Mentor Network to find information on a school near you that will help you start up your own IAQ management program.
You can also learn from other schools and school districts by reading IAQ TfS case studies. The case studies describe many schools’ experiences implementing IAQ TfS. Each study focuses on some aspect of the process, such as communicating with the public during an IAQ crisis, to highlight lessons learned and helpful hints to benefit schools that plan to undertake similar efforts. The case studies profile past IAQ TfS Award Winners who have proactively addressed IAQ issues to address or prevent problems, educate the school community, identify ways to pay for IAQ improvements, and improve and maintain healthy school environments where student, teachers, and staff can focus on their primary mission of education. Visit Case Studies to download case studies and learn more.
How Can I Learn More about School Design, Operations and Maintenance, and IAQ?
IAQ Design Tools for Schools
Learn more about school design, operations, and IAQ at EPA’s interactive Website that helps schools manage indoor environmental health through the building and renovation and operations and maintenance process: see IAQ Design Tools for Schools at epa.gov/iaq/schooldesign.
Ensuring healthy IAQ means carefully considering such factors as maintenance of acceptable temperature and relative humidity, control of airborne contaminants, and distribution of adequate ventilated air. It requires deliberate care on the part of school designers and builders and, ultimately, from the people who operate and maintain the facilities. Many of the most important determinants of building IAQ begin with good design and continue with proper building management.
To protect IAQ, schools need to consider many factors during the design phase of new building projects or renovations. Potential sources of contamination can be “built-out” of a new facility. For example:
- HVAC systems can be designed to maintain good IAQ, provide thermal comfort, conserve energy, and save schools money
- Construction projects can be planned to ensure the use of safe materials, and reduce impact on the facility site and occupants’ health
- Design and construction plans can address moisture control issues to prevent mold growth in the building over time
Visit EPA’s IAQ Design Tools for Schools to learn more about designing for healthy school IAQ.
In addition to building design and construction, effective operation and maintenance procedures are critical to protect the investment in, and performance of, all building systems. Student health and productivity can suffer when building systems fail to operate as designed.
Everyone in the school community benefits when facility operations and maintenance are an institutional priority. An effective maintenance plan should:
- Educate the staff on the value of maintenance, and how a properly functioning facility can support the education of students
- Establish a budget, roles, responsibilities, and schedules for regular preventative maintenance
- Create a system to track work orders, maintenance performed, and costs for each piece of equipment
- Provide the maintenance staff with thorough operation and maintenance manuals, training, and equipment
How Can I Get the IAQ TfS Action Kit at No Cost?
Download parts of the Action Kit or place an order to receive a complete
Action Kit at
no cost at
epa.gov/iaq/schools/
actionkit.html
Does EPA Provide Materials at No Cost to Help School and District Officials Understand IAQ and School Environmental Health?
EPA provides a wide variety of materials at no cost for schools and districts to use to understand IAQ issues and ways to implement IAQ management programs at the district or individual school level. EPA makes many of its products available online for quick and easy download. You can also order materials from EPA and receive hard copies at no cost.
School officials may be particularly interested in the materials described below. Please visit our Publications to see all of the IAQ in schools materials that EPA can provide.
Learn More About IAQ and EPA’s Programs and Educate Others in Your School Community
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Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Fact Sheet This fact sheet offers a brief overview of the concerns related to poor IAQ in schools and describes the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQ TfS) Program, established by EPA in 1995. The IAQ TfS Program and related resources offer voluntary guidance for schools on how to implement and sustain a proactive IAQ management plan to identify, correct, and prevent IAQ problems to create and maintain healthy and safe learning environments.
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Benefits of Improving Air Quality in the Indoor Environment This full-color brochure describes the many benefits of using the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program to improve IAQ and the quality of the learning environment. Benefits highlighted in the brochure include: successful outcomes in schools (i.e., health benefits and cost savings), research on IAQ and schools (i.e., cost savings, performance, and health effects), mold remediation, and asthma management. This brochure is a great companion guide to help school staff communicate the importance and benefits of improving IAQ in schools and to encourage upper level management and the community to adopt and support the IAQ TfS Program.
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Indoor Air Quality and Student Performance
Fact Sheet Revised in August 2003, this fact sheet offers the latest information and data about poor indoor air quality (IAQ), it causes, health consequences, and solutions. The quality of indoor air declines when schools fail to follow simple practices that help to maintain a safe and healthy indoor environment. Recent data and evidence show that exposure to poor IAQ can cause or exacerbate illnesses, especially asthma and allergies, in children and adults. In addition, poor IAQ can reduce a person's ability to perform specific mental tasks requiring concentration, calculation, or memory. This fact sheet is a good resource to help school administrators understand that good indoor air quality can enhance student performance, a key measure of success for schools.
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Learn to Prevent and Address Mold Problems in Schools
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Mold in Schools Fact Sheet The Mold in School Fact Sheet provides an organized summary of information related to facts of mold growth in school buildings and portable classrooms. Concern about indoor exposure to mold has been increasing as the public becomes aware that exposure to mold can cause a variety of health effects and symptoms, including allergic reactions. Parents are especially concerned about the conditions of school buildings and how mold may affect their children. Because of the mold risk and media attention, school administrators should understand the mechanics of mold growth and take steps to avoid the moisture and mold problems.
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Mold Remediation
in Schools and Commercial Buildings This document presents guidelines for the remediation/cleanup of mold and moisture problems in schools and commercial buildings; these guidelines include measures designed to protect the health of building occupants and remediators. It has been designed primarily for building managers, custodians, and others who are responsible for commercial building and school maintenance. It should serve as a reference for potential mold and moisture remediators.
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Learn How to Manage Asthma in School Facilities
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To learn more about ways to
manage asthma in schools, download the IAQ Tools for Schools Bulletin on Asthma that describes the ways schools across the country have reduced asthma attacks and school absences by implementing good indoor asthma management policies.
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Managing Asthma in the School Environment
This guide offers valuable information for all school staff, especially school nurses, teachers, and maintenance staff, on how to identify and control common environmental factors in schools that trigger asthma attacks. Resources include an "Asthma Action Card" which can serve as a daily asthma management plan. School nurses can share these resources with parents to raise awareness of asthma triggers and to help manage asthma at home and school effectively. Also included are easy tips for managing asthma in schools, including using the IAQ TfS Kit and Program to improve IAQ in the learning environment.
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Visit our Publications page to view a list of all IAQ in Schools publications and resources.
For information on radon in schools, visit www.epa.gov/radon.
For comprehensive information on all kinds of school environmental, health, and safety risks, be sure to visit EPA’s Healthy School Environments Website and check out the Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool (HealthySEAT) at www.epa.gov/schools.
How Can I Order EPA Materials at No Cost?
You can order Indoor Air Quality publications from EPA's National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP):
P.O. Box 42419
Cincinnati, OH 45242-0419
Website: www.epa.gov/nscep
Phone: 1-800-490-9198
Fax: (301) 604-3408
E-mail: nscep@bps-lmit.comNSCEP operates a Toll-free phone service for EPA Publication Assistance with live customer service representative assistance Monday through Friday from 9:00am-5:30pm eastern time. Voice Mail is available after operating hours. You can fax or e-mail your publication requests. For technical assistance with NSCEP web pages, write to: nscep_nepis.tech@epa.gov
Please use the EPA Document Number, which is usually bolded or highlighted, when ordering from NSCEP. See our list of publications at www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs
How Do I Order Other EPA Publications? Click Here
What is the IAQ TfS National Symposium and Should I Attend?
The IAQ TfS National Symposium is an in-person meeting of school board officials, school decision makers, school administrators, architects, school nurses, teachers, facility managers, school and health association members, parents, and others interested in maintaining good indoor air quality in our nation’s schools. The Symposium strives to present clear and simple information that school personnel need to understand how to implement IAQ TfS, maintain healthy school environments, and to create networks to facilitate information sharing between experts and among school communities. The Symposium also highlights key components that are common to successful IAQ management programs. Schools Districts that have implemented successful, award-winning IAQ management programs serve as Symposium faculty and share the steps they took to implement the IAQ TfS Program in their districts.
The Symposium provides an unparalleled opportunity to learn about topics associated with implementing an IAQ program in a school setting, such as:
- Communicating IAQ issues among stakeholders in the local community
- Designing, building, and maintaining healthy, high performing schools
- School commissioning
- Mold mitigation and moisture control
- Green cleaning and product selection
- Sustaining IAQ practices over time
- Materials selection and maintenance
- Asthma management
To learn more about the IAQ TfS National Symposium, please visit www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/symposium.html
What is the IAQ TfS Awards Program?
EPA launched the IAQ TfS Awards Program in 2000 to recognize schools and school districts that are implementing comprehensive, sustainable IAQ management plans. Eligible schools have demonstrated a strong commitment to improving children's health and IAQ and promoting good IAQ in schools. EPA presented the first IAQ TfS Awards to ten school districts at the 2000 IAQ TfS National Symposium, and has since presented awards to more than 100 schools and districts in recognition of their dedication and successes to improve IAQ and related health problems. Award winning schools consistently demonstrate a commitment to the six common themes of successful IAQ management: Organize, Assess, Create a Plan, Take Action, Evaluate, and Communicate.
EPA promotes its award winners in national and local media, develops case studies profiling the schools’ good work, and highlights the winning schools and districts as models for schools across the country to emulate. Learn more about the variety of awards EPA offers and how to apply at www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/awards.html