Press Release: New Data Show Schools Ignore Children's Health

Survey Results Ring Loud Alarms

Contacts:  
Amy Garcia, RN, NASN, 240-821-1130
Claire Barnett, Healthy Schools Network, 518-462-0632

(Silver Spring, MD, January 11, 2011)  Advocates today released early results of a nationwide survey of school nurses and urged the EPA to complete congressionally mandated environmental health guidelines for the states to help address school conditions. Reponses to the nationwide survey indicate over 40% of more than 350 respondents say that they know children and staff adversely impacted by avoidable indoor pollutants and that virtually no agencies assist local schools.   

The 2010 school nurse survey data challenge EPA’s and other agencies’ assumptions about how effectively states and local schools are managing IAQ and other K-12 environmental issues. EPA has estimated based on a 2006 Center for Disease Control survey that half of K-12 schools have Indoor Air
Quality Management Plans. The nurses’ survey indicates that perhaps only one-quarter do. 

“Parents and taxpayers should be enraged,” says NASN Executive Director Amy Garcia, RN. “Children continue to miss school because of illnesses triggered by indoor air pollutants. Attendance is strongly correlated with school success and graduation. School nurses call on school boards and administrators to develop indoor air quality teams to assist schools with guidance, and the Environmental Protection Agency to complete work on school environments mandated by Congress.” 

Over 350 school nurses responded to the 2010 survey. The survey touched on many of the problems raised in the SICK SCHOOLS 2009 report and issues EPA is mandated to tackle, such as drinking water quality, pest control, and chemical spills.    

• 40% know children and staff adversely affected by pollutants in schools;
• Only 17% say schools have cleaned up asthma-triggers as requested by parents: pests, molds, indoor air quality, sanitation 
• Over 75% say schools have no indoor air quality team or coordinator;
  
• Only 6% say an outside agency helped their school with environmental issues;
• Nurse respondent quotes on discussing environment with school leaders: “Told I was a negative person for asking," “Not encouraged to do so,” “No time.”

Healthy Schools Network Executive Director Claire Barnett warns, “Parents are stunned when they discover schools have known about environmental factors affecting their child and have done little or nothing. Then they learn that no agency responds either. Every effort should be made to intervene when
children are in harm’s way.”

For EPA links on how school environmental conditions impact children, see
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/student_performance/evidence.html

For EPA data on how healthy environments can increase children’s attendance and achievement, see http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/student_performance/faq4.html