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Bill puts emphasis on improving school building air quality

Posted: 9/8/2009 4:17:07 PM

Providing for our students’ education can mean more than textbooks and curriculum – it can mean a safe place to learn with clean air to breathe.

WEAC members are supporting a State Assembly bill to protect the health and safety of students and school staff. Assembly Bill 358 will provide school districts with expertise and guidance from a state task force of diverse members that will develop recommendations for a model management plan for maintaining indoor environmental quality in schools. Additionally, the bill will ensure that over time all school districts adopt and implement a locally developed plan to maintain indoor environmental quality in their school buildings.

The Senate Education Committee unanimously recommended the bill’s passage on Thursday (September 10).

Jackie Vandenberg, a 20-year teacher, said she fears the 115-year-old West Bend school she teaches in could be behind some of her respiratory problems. Vandenberg said school building environment issues shouldn’t be factors in education.

“I am now extremely nervous about spending time in this old building, and I would like to instead be able to focus on my passion, which is teaching my 500-plus students. I fear that my environment will affect my health and the health of the students,” Vandenberg said. “Other teachers in my building have also had environmental issues and related health concerns, including those of mold growth and sewage that backed up into classroom cupboards.”

More than 20 states have passed laws to address indoor environmental quality in schools. Schools throughout Wisconsin are struggling with air quality concerns such as mold, fungi, asbestos, carbon dioxide, and poor ventilation. Left unaddressed, such issues can lead to health problems, reduced student academic achievement and teacher performance, accelerated school building deterioration, school closings, and student and staff relocation – all major disruptions of the learning process.

“Assembly Bill 358 would provide schools with the tools to better manage indoor environmental quality issues and would require that all school districts have a policy in place regarding indoor environmental quality that would meet the needs of their students and staff,” Vandenberg said.

In addition to the school environmental quality bill, the Senate Education Committee also recommended for passage a bill requiring instruction on the history of organized labor and collective bargaining as well as a bill on school safety plans, pupil records and school bullying.

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Comments 5

  1. Bill Hurley 9/29/2009

    These links will open copies of the bill:

    Assembly bill: http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2009/data/AB-358.pdf

     

    Senate bill: http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2009/data/SB-41.pdf

  2. Swan 9/29/2009

    Please post a copy of the bill.  Other states are facing similar and worse environmental issues and are in need of state school environmental policies.  Wisconsin's bill would provide guidance.  Healthy Schools Network and the EPA Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools have material and guidance available online.  These are free to participating schools and helpful in setting school, state, and hopefully federal policies to protect school children and teachers from toxic exposure at school  I was seriously injured by chemicals while teaching.  My injury would have been prevented by such a policy.  Since then, I have advocated to protect the environment of our schools, Thanks, Nancy Swan,
    Mobile, Alabama

  3. Jeanne Black 9/26/2009

    The problem with indoor air quality is not only in old buildings, new buildings also have these problems. Laws need to be implemented by a state task force for guidance to healthy schools. Many of the measures that will be presented will in turn save districts many dollars using prevention measures.
    This is a very serious issue and can create permanent disabilities that affect students and staff on where they live, work, and go to school for the rest of their lives. We have experienced first hand what this very serious health hazard can create as a disability.
    Kids come first and they are our future. Lets do the very best job we can to see that we all stay healthy.

  4. S KE 9/22/2009

    Our buildings and grounds staff does an admirable job investigating possible indoor air quality issues and have stopped problems from such situations as moisture above ceiling tiles, malfunctioning univents, failing exhaust vents.  Some have benn trained in the EPA Tools for School program.

    Teachers, in particular, need to recognize that what they BELIEVE and what they FEEL can create hysteria and not be part of a problem of creating unfounded panic.  The air quality of their homes in many cases fails much more in comparison to that of schools.

    Maintaining a functional action plan will lessen instances of poor air quality.  Maintaining unfounded hysteria does little constructive.

    Just because a building is old, does not mean that there is an automatic air quality problem.  Actually, some of the newest buildings can present the most air quality problems.  Just ask the Madison School District.

  5. Thomas Baribeau 9/20/2009

    Respiratory problems among staff and students is common in many school buildings in many areas. It is common for retired staff members to see a huge decrease in such problems once they are no longer working in school buildings, but the typical comments made by school district officials is that not being around so many people on a regular basis explains the improvement in respiratory problems. Things such as air quality testing kits and other devices are needed to verify whether or not the school building itself is playing a factor.

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