NYS School Environmental Health Program: Special Audiences

Administrators

Administrators, including superintendents, school board members, and principals, are decision makers and leaders for their school(s) and/or district(s). This puts them in an ideal position to become informed on the health, academic, and financial benefits of a school environmental health program, such as the New York State Clean, Green, and Healthy Schools Program. Support by administrators can empower schools to make environmental health a priority. School environmental health resources that could be useful to school administrators are listed below.

• School Officials and Healthy Indoor School Environments. Learn about school indoor environments and actions recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that school officials can take to address concerns related to those environments.
• Reducing Mercury in Schools: Superintendents, Principals and School Boards. Materials from the NYS Department of Health (NYSDOH) to assist in protecting your school from the expense, inconvenience, and health hazard associated with mercury spills.
• Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Action Kit. This toolkit from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows schools how to carry out a practical plan to improve indoor air problems at little- or no-cost using straightforward activities and in-house staff.
• Guidelines for the Health and Safety Committee. The NYS Education Department (NYSED) provides suggestions to guide districts in establishing Health and Safety Committees and defining the duties of the committee.
• Schools: Resources for Safe Chemical Management. This guide by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), designed for school administrators, focuses on preventative actions to prevent spills of and exposure to dangerous chemicals.
• Improve Academic Performance Through Better Indoor Air Quality in Schools. Resources gathered by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on how indoor air quality can impact student health and test scores.
• Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB)-Containing Fluorescent Light Ballasts (FLBs) in School Buildings. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns of the hazards posed by PCBs in PCB-containing fluorescent light ballasts – learn how to properly handle and dispose of these items, and how to properly retrofit the lighting fixtures in your school to remove potential PCB hazards.
• Energy Savings Plus Health: Indoor Air Quality Guidelines for School Building Upgrades. A guide by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help school facility managers, energy managers, risk managers, building operators, and school administrators to collaboratively manage the relationships between energy efficiency upgrade activities and indoor air quality in schools.
• Energy Star Cash Flow Opportunity Calculator. This Energy Star tool can help in your school’s financing decisions about energy efficient projects. Calculate your potential savings and how much energy you can conserve.
• Strategies for Addressing Asthma in Schools. A compilation by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) of information and resources for implementing programs in schools to address asthma and improve overall student health.
• Student Health and Academic Performance: Quick Reference Guide. Brief reference guide from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) highlighting the importance of having a healthy learning environment for students.
• Managing Radon in Schools. This US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) webpage includes the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools guide along with steps to test for radon, address related issues, and develop an efficient radon management plan.
• Radon Testing and Mitigation Standards for Schools. Guidelines from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on radon testing and protocols.
• Radon Information. Resources from the NYSDOH on Radon and Radon testing.
• Administrative Staff Backgrounders & Checklist from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
  • Administrative Staff Backgrounder
  • Administrative Staff Checklist
  • Indoor Air Quality Backgrounder
• School Officials Backgrounders & Checklist from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
  • School Official’s Backgrounder
  • School Official’s Checklist
  • Indoor Air Quality Backgrounder

Food Services Staff

School food services staff play an important role in improving school environmental health. Each day, every student in the school will make their way through the cafeteria and eat their lunches, making food service practices relevant to all students. Activities that take place daily, such as food preparation, distribution, and cleaning can impact pest presence, moisture and ventilation control, and the need to use green cleaning. For example, properly storing food and cleaning up food areas will help with pest control, addressing moisture problems will help reduce mold formation, and practicing green cleaning can reduce asthma and allergy triggers. Resources for food services staff to use to improve their school environmental health can be found on this page.

Green Cleaning

• New York State Green Cleaning Program. Tools and information from New York State for effective green cleaning practices leading to healthier indoor environments.
• Practice Effective Cleaning and Maintenance.  Component 1 from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) "Five Key Components of a School Environmental Health Program" for action steps to practice effective cleaning and maintenance.

Pest Management

• Prevent Pests and Reduce Pesticide Exposure.  Component 5 from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) "Five Key Components of a School Environmental Health Program" on preventing pests and reducing pesticide exposure; includes a specific section for "Food Preparation and Serving Areas."
• New York State Integrated Pest Management Program for Buildings and Schools. Find fact sheets, presentations, diagnostic resources, a blog, and more about IPM in schools, gathered by NYS Integrated Pest Management at Cornell University.

Safety

• Serving Up Safety: A Health and Safety Tip Sheet for School Food Service Employees. Tips from California’s School Action for Safety and Health (SASH) Program on how food service workers can help make their work environment safer.

Ventilation

• Ensure Good Ventilation. Component 4 from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) "Five Key Components of a School Environmental Health Program" that provides schools with guidelines to ensure good ventilation.

General

• Food Service Backgrounders & Checklist from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
  • Food Service Backgrounder
  • Food Service Checklist
  • Indoor Air Quality Backgrounder

Maintenance/Custodial/Facilities Staff

Custodians, maintenance, and facilities staff have a profound impact on students and other school occupants every day. Their day to day operations, from fixing leaks to cleaning floors, impacts the environment where school occupants learn and work. For example, properly maintained classrooms and buildings can lead to fewer asthma attacks among students and teachers. Custodians, maintenance, and facilities staff are on the frontline in efforts to improve school environmental health, and they are involved in almost every aspect of school environmental health in some way. This is why enhancing their knowledge and awareness is so important. Custodians, maintenance, and facilities staff should refer to the “Topics” section of these webpages for resources on the many areas of school environmental health that they can impact. In addition to those resources under “Topics,” the resources listed here are specifically tailored toward these staff.

• Chemical & Environmental Hazards. Here you will find relevant resources related to mercury, drinking water, and chemical management, among other topics.
• Reducing Mercury in Schools: Building and Grounds Superintendents. Resources from the NYS Department of Health (DOH) to find mercury sources in your school and to avoid potential spills.
• Cleaning & Maintenance. Here you will find important information on on a variety of cleaning topics.
• Energy & Resource Conservation. Here you will find resources and tools to improve efficiency and save money.
• Energy Star Cash Flow Opportunity Calculator. This Energy Star tool can help in your school’s financing decisions about energy efficient projects. Calculate your potential savings and how much energy you can conserve.
• Energy Savings Plus Health: Indoor Air Quality Guidelines for School Building Upgrades. A US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guide to help school facility managers, energy managers, risk managers, building operators, and school administrators to collaboratively manage the relationships between energy efficiency upgrade activities and indoor air quality in schools.
• Indoor Air Quality. A variety of resources to help maintain good indoor air quality.
• Ventilation. Here you will find resources to help with effective and efficient ventilation.
• Mold & Moisture. Resources to help prevent and remediate mold and moisture.
• Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings Guide. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for the remediation/cleanup of mold and moisture problems in schools and commercial buildings.
• Managing Radon in Schools. This US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) webpage includes the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools guide along with steps to test for radon, address related issues, and develop an efficient radon management plan.
• Radon Testing and Mitigation Standards for Schools. Guidelines from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on radon testing and protocols.
• Radon Information. Resources from the NYS Department of Health (DOH) on Radon and Radon testing.
• Integrated Pest Management & Pesticide Issues. Resources for safely and effectively controlling pests in the school environment.
• Environmental Protection Agency School Integrated Pest Management Listserv. Sign up for the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) IPM Listserv to receive information related to school IPM once every two weeks intended to assist and motivate individuals to start, grow, and sustain school IPM programs.
• School Siting/Construction/Renovation. Here you will find a variety of information for use in new school construction projects or renovations, as well as information on solar power for schools.
• Water Quality. Find information on lead testing of school drinking water.
• Work Related Asthma: Recognition and Diagnosis. This Public Health Live episode introduces some common triggers to look out for in the workplace, methods to reduce exposure and who you should talk to if experiencing these symptoms.
• Work Safer
  • Working Safer and Easier for Janitors, Custodians, and Housekeepers. Tools and fact sheets from the California Department of Industrial Relations for janitors and custodians, and their employers, for creating a safer workplace.
  • Custodians of Safety: A Health and Safety Tip Sheet for School Custodians. Information from California’s School Action for Safety (SASH) program on how custodians can help make their work environment safer.
  • Maintaining Safety: A Health and Safety Tip Sheet for School Maintenance Staff. Information from California’s School Action for Safety (SASH) program on how custodians can help make their work environment safer.
• Student Health and Academic Performance: Quick Reference Guide. Brief reference guide from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) highlighting the importance of having a healthy learning environment for students.
• Building and Grounds Maintenance Backgrounders & Checklist from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
  • Building and Grounds Maintenance Backgrounder
  • Building and Grounds Maintenance Checklist
  • Indoor Air Quality Backgrounder

Nurse/Medical Director/School Based Health Center Staff

School-based health professionals play an integral part in the health and well-being of students and staff. When considering environmental health issues, school nurses and school-based health center staff can play a primary role in the detection of various indoor air quality problems that can lead to illness. Repeated or common health complaints that align with environmental health issues and/or frequent asthma/allergy triggers can be signs that the school's environmental health needs attention. In addition, nurses and school-based health center staff are key communicators between the child, parents, physician, and teachers with regard to students' health conditions and how to manage them. School environmental health resources that could be useful to school nurses/ medical directors/ school-based health center staff are listed below.

• Mercury and Schools: School Nurses. Information from the NYS Department of Health (DOH) on mercury exposure as well as action steps that school nurses can take.
• Managing Asthma in the School Environment. Information from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on how to take action to manage asthma in the school environment, develop an asthma management plan, and reduce environmental asthma triggers.
• Is the Asthma Action Plan Working? A Tool for School Nurse Assessment.Assess whether an Asthma Action Plan is working for a student with this checklist from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
• Asthma-Friendly Schools Initiative.This initiative from the American Lung Association (ALA) provides asthma management tools and resources for schools and communities.
• Asthma Actions for Healthcare Professionals. Helpful resources from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on asthma. See the “Healthcare Professionals” tab.
• Steps to Follow for an Asthma Attack in the School Setting. Informational poster with steps to follow for an asthma attack in the school setting, as outlined by the NYS Department of Health (DOH).
• Asthma Resources for School and Childcare Providers. Compilation of CDC, government, and nongovernment resources for school personnel planning or maintaining an asthma management program.
• Work-Related Asthma: Recognition and Diagnosis.This Public Health Live episode introduces some common triggers to look out for in the workplace, methods to reduce exposure and how you can help staff deal with their work-related asthma.
• Facilities Planning: Guidelines for the Health and Safety Committee. Suggestions provided by the NYS Education Department (NYSED) to guide districts in establishing Health and Safety Committees and defining the duties of the committee.
• Dress to Repel Ticks. Check out the do’s and don’ts for repelling ticks on this fun poster from the NYS Department of Health (DOH). Help keep your school tick free!
• Ticks and Lyme Disease. This guide, created by the NYS Department of Health (DOH), provides excellent information on what Lyme disease is, where it is found, what ticks are and ways to reduce and remove ticks. It also provides pictures for common New York State ticks.
• What’s Bugging You? Ticks. Tick information from the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, including a video of the tick life cycle.
• Student Health and Academic Performance: Quick Reference Guide. Brief reference guide from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) highlighting the importance of having a healthy learning environment for students.
• Health Officer Backgrounders & Checklist from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
  • Health Officer/School Nurse Backgrounder
  • Health Officer/School Nurse Checklist
  • Indoor Air Quality Backgrounder

Parents/Guardians

Parents/guardians want what is best for their children. School aged children spend a significant amount of time in the school setting, which may pose various health risks if the school does not follow good environmental health practices. Learning about school environmental health can empower parents/guardians to advocate and encourage schools to adopt policies to improve school environmental health. School environmental health resources that could be useful to parents/guardians are listed below.

• Pesticide Use at Schools and Day Care Centers. Guidance from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) on the law and policy on requests for emergency pesticide application determinations for schools.
• Teachers, Staff, and Parents: Your Role on the Indoor Air Quality Team. Information from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help lower the risk of long-term health problems related to indoor air quality in your school.
• Facilities Planning: Guidelines for the Health and Safety Committee. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) provides suggestions to guide districts in establishing Health and Safety Committees and defining the duties of the committee.
• Improve Academic Performance Through Better Indoor Air Quality in Schools. Learn how indoor air quality can impact student health and test scores with this compilation of resources from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
• Open Airways For Schools. This program is aimed to help elementary school children better manage their own asthma. The program, developed by the American Lung Association (ALA), also has a variety of information for other people to learn about asthma and how it affects people who suffer from it.
• Lungtropolis - Games for Kids, Advice for Parents. This interactive website has two different portals – a games zone for kids to learn about asthma while having fun, and a parent’s zone with helpful tips for managing asthma at home.
• Succeeding in School with Asthma: A Parent's Guide. Find information on the NYS Department of Health (DOH) website on asthma triggers, Asthma Action Plans, and communication tips for parents, physicians and school officials.
• Student Health and Academic Performance: Quick Reference Guide. Brief US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reference guide highlighting the importance of having a healthy learning environment for students.
• Indoor AIRepair at Home, School and Play. This guide from the Allergy & Asthma Network provides room by room guidance on where allergens and triggers might be hiding in your home and offers easy and little to no cost ways to eliminate/reduce them.
• Take Charge of Asthma! Find helpful information from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on how to get asthma under control.
• Asthma in Schools: The Basics for Parents. Parents and guardians can find helpful ways to work with your child’s school to make sure your child stays safe and healthy on this webpage from the American Lung Association (ALA).
• Protect Your Family From Radon: A Guide for New York State Residents. Information from the NYS Department of Health (DOH) on the effects of radon, high-risk counties in New York State, ordering a radon test kit, and installing a radon reduction system.

Students

Students spend a long time in school each day, which is why it is so important to make schools as healthy as they can be. All the different areas of the school, including classrooms, hallways, gyms, bathrooms, cafeterias, sidewalks, and playgrounds, make up what is called the "school environment" which affects the health of people at school. Everyone who works at the school can help make the school environment healthier, and so can the students!

Students can help by learning more about school environmental health, joining or creating school environmental health clubs, and more. Teachers may even have special tasks for their students to do to help improve the school environment. If you are a student, use the websites below to learn more about school environmental health and what you can do to make a difference in your school.

• Environmental Health Student Portal. Games, videos, facts, and more for middle school students on the National Library of Medicine Environmental Health Student Portal.
• Games, Quizzes and More. Play games and other activities related to environmental education on this US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) webpage.
• New York State Conservationist for Kids. A nature and environment magazine for kids in New York State from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for kids in New York State.
• Lungtropolis. This interactive website has two different portals – a games zone for kids to learn about asthma while having fun, and a parent’s zone with helpful tips for managing asthma at home.

Teachers

Teachers have a unique and important role to play in contributing to school environmental health conditions that foster optimal health in students and maintain an environment that is conducive to learning. Teachers' decisions can greatly impact school environmental health. These decisions include: 1) classroom arrangements, cleaning, and activities; 2) curricula; and 3) communicating with custodians. In addition to improving environments for students to learn, healthy school environments have been shown to increase teacher health, job satisfaction, and retention rate. On this page you will find many resources and actions teachers can take to improve their environmental health.

Curricula/Learning Materials

• Learning and Teaching about the Environment. Access to homework resources, lesson plans, and project ideas from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to teach about the environment.
• Green Chemistry: An Innovative Approach to Chemistry for NYS Schools. A program from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) with guidelines and resources for ‘greening’ scientific curricula by properly disposing toxic chemicals and hazardous waste, and replacing them with less hazardous, sustainable alternatives.
• New York State Conservationist for Kids. A nature and environment magazine from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for kids in New York State.
• Student Curricula. Ideas from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on a variety of environmental health issues, sourced from their Model Program for the State School Environmental Health Guidelines.
• New York State Radon Poster Contest. A contest sponsored by the NYS Department of Health (DOH) for children 9-14 enrolled in public, private, or home school—or through a sponsoring club or organization.

Interactive Websites for Students

• Environmental Health Student Portal. Connects middle school students to environmental health with games, videos, facts and more, from the National Library of Medicine Environmental Health Student Portal.
• Games, Quizzes and Videos about the Environment.. Play games and other activities from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) related to environmental education.

Safety

• Building Successful Programs to Address Chemical Risks in Schools: A Workbook with Template, Tips, and Techniques. Workbook from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that includes the importance of chemical management in schools, tips and techniques for chemical management, and suggestions for starting a green curriculum.
• School Chemical Management. Information from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) on performing a chemical inventory, organizing and storing chemicals, and additional resources for school chemical management.
• School Chemistry Laboratory Safety. A guide from the CDC and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) that highlights the importance for safety when planning, preparing, and implementing a science plan or lesson and gives guidance for best practices.
• Reducing Mercury in Schools: Science Teachers. Help from the NYS Department of Health (DOH) in finding mercury sources in your school and avoid potential spills.
• Facilities Planning: Guidelines for the Health and Safety Committee. Provides suggestions from the NYS Education Department (NYSED) to guide districts in establishing Health and Safety Committees and defining the duties of the committee.
• Teaching in a Safe Classroom: A Health and Safety Tip Sheet for Teachers and Paraeducators. Information from California’s School Action for Safety (SASH) program on how teachers can help make their work environment safer.
• Chemical and Environmental Hazards. Additional resources for general chemical management in schools.

Health

• Work-Related Asthma: Recognition and Diagnosis. This Public Health Live episode introduces some common triggers to look out for in the workplace, methods to reduce exposure and who you should talk to if experiencing these symptoms.
• Steps to Follow for an Asthma Attack in the School Setting. Informational poster with steps to follow for an asthma attack in the school setting, as outlined by the NYS Department of Health (DOH).

Indoor Air Quality

• Teachers, Staff, and Parents: Your role on the Indoor Air Quality Team. Information from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help lower the risk of long-term health problems related to indoor air quality in your school.
• Improve Academic Performance Through Better Indoor Air Quality in Schools. Learn how indoor air quality can impact student health and test scores, through this compilation of resources from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
• Student Health and Academic Performance: Quick Reference Guide. Brief reference guide from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) highlighting the importance of having a healthy learning environment for students.
• Teacher’s Classroom Backgrounders & Checklist from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
  • Teacher’s Classroom Backgrounder
  • Teacher’s Classroom Checklist
  • Indoor Air Quality Backgrounder

Transportation Services Staff/Bus Drivers

The New York State Department of Transportation estimates that approximately 2.4 million students, along with drivers and bus aides, ride the bus on any given school day, many for as long as an hour or more. In addition to possible exposure to exhaust, the compact environment inside the school bus creates a unique environmental health setting for students. Green cleaning and proper vehicle maintenance will assist in creating healthier environments for the students who depend on buses for daily transportation. Resources that could be useful to transportation services staff with respect to environmental health are listed below.

• Buses and Vehicle Idling. Brief summary by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) explaining why school buses are important in healthy school environments and what actions can be taken to improve school environmental health through buses.
• Clean School Buses. A program run by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that helps communities and reduces emissions from older diesel school buses.
• Green Cleaning Program. Tools and information from NYS for effective green cleaning practices leading to healthier indoor environments.
• GreenLITES (Green Leadership In Transportation Environmental Sustainability). This NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) program encourages transportation project designs, operations, and maintenance practices to incorporate a high level of environmental sustainability.
• Reducing School Bus Idling- Requirement and Notice Materials for School Districts.
  • New York State Anti-Idling Law.. A PowerPoint presentation by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) designed to teach about laws, regulations, and adverse effects of diesel exhaust and bus idling.
  • Idling School Buses on School Grounds. Describes the New York State Education Law requiring school districts to minimize the idling of school bus engines.
• Pupil Transportation. Describes the safety regulations for school bus drivers, monitors, attendants and pupils. 8 CRR-NY 156.3.
• Driving Home Safely: A Health and Safety Tip Sheet for School Bus Drivers. Information from California’s School Action for Safety and Health (SASH) Program on how bus drivers can help make their work environment safer.

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