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Tools for Schools
Indoor Environments Team

What is Tools for Schools?

The Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools program is a voluntary program that encourages schools to carry out a practical plan of action to improve indoor air quality at little or no cost using common-sense activities and in-house staff. The program is implemented by the school staff using a Tools for Schools Kit that provides simple-to-follow checklists, background information, sample memos and policies, a recommended IAQ Management Plan, and a unique IAQ Problem Solving Wheel. Ten appendices include information on topics such as hiring outside assistance, and mold and moisture control. Two videos, Taking Action and Ventilation Basics , are also included in the Kit.

How can Tools for Schools help my school or school district?

In addition to helping ensure a healthy and productive learning environment, the Kit can also help save the school's resources by:

Reducing absenteeism and sick days for students and staff;
Reducing deterioration and improved energy efficiency of the school's heating, cooling, and ventilation systems;
Reducing the possibility of school closings and temporary relocation;
Preventing strained relationships among school administration, parents, staff, and negative publicity; and
Reducing potential liability problems.

Who should be using the Kit?

The Kit is targeted at the 15,000 school districts and 110,000 existing K-12 schools in the United States. The Kit provides materials for teachers, custodians, health officers, and others whose daily decisions and activities affect the quality of the air within the school.

How does it work?

The Kit provides:

Voluntary activities;
No/low cost projects;
Common sense solutions;
Easy-to-use checklists;
Flexibility for who, how, and when; and
Common problem targeting.

The guidance is not:

Another costly regulatory program;
A technical manual requiring specialized training; or
A guidance that requires pollutant measurements.

Who sponsors Tools for Schools?

American Lung Association
American Federation of Teachers
Association of School Business Officials
Council for American Private Education
National Education Association
National PTA

What are Region 6's goals for Tools for Schools?

The top priority of the Indoor Environments Team is to reduce health risks to children from indoor environmental factors in the home, school, and daycare environments. Increased awareness of IAQ issues and implementation of Tools for Schools will promote healthier and safer learning conditions for children and staff. Our outreach goal involves these three key principals:

School staff and students can prevent many indoor air quality problems.
When IAQ problems happen, they can often be resolved using the skills of school staff.
The expense and effort required to prevent most IAQ problems is much less than the expense and effort to solve problems after they develop.

Additionally, the Tools for Schools Kit components are available for schools wishing to do self-training and be recognized as implementing an IAQ management plan.

How are you spreading the word about Tools for Schools?

To further facilitate outreach to school districts, we have an E-mail school contact database that we use to provide IAQ information and additional resources to the school districts. If you are interested in being a part of our database, please contact Stephen Harper (harper.stephen@epa.gov ) or Stacy Murphy (murphy.stacy@epa.gov )

How can I order a Tools for Schools kit?

The IAQ Tools for Schools Kit, individual IAQ Problem Solving Wheels, and Taking Action and Ventilation Basics Videos are available for free from the IAQ INFO Clearinghouse. Please call the IAQ Info line at (703) 356-4020 or by email

The IAQ Tools for Schools Kit (Second Edition, December 2000) is also available on CDROM. The CDROM includes all written materials in the Kit in both Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Pagemaker 6.5+ format. To order, call (800) 438-4318 and ask for EPA document number 402-C-00-002, dated August 2000.

Individual components of the Tools for Schools Kit may be downloaded.

Visit EPA's School Indoor Air Quality homepage or call the EPA IAQ Information Hotline at (800) 438-4318.

Return to Indoor Air Quality HomePage

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Tools for Schools
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